Steven Universe - Rage and Beauty
by Volyren Nightsong
Summary: Crystal Hearts Trilogy - Episode 1 - Steven and discovers a strange crystal on the beach. But when he accidentally breaks it, he unleashes an ancient evil that brings back painful memories from 2 years past. And while Steven recounts the past events that led to a deeper friendship, both present and future is threatened by the monstrous entity. Art by GaiasAngel of DeviantArt.
1. Chapter 1

This story IS about Steven Universe, but you don't have to be a fan of the show to enjoy this story. There were only 3 episodes available when I began this project, and there is only a SINGLE episode required for understanding this entire trilogy. (The episode titled 'Laser Light Cannon' You can view it online at watchcartoononline dotcom.)

Thanks for checking out this story. I have been flattered by the comments and emails that I have received about it. It is because of them, that I have continued writing this series. At this moment, 4/6/14, the second story is nearly complete, and is much longer than this one. This story is around 50 pages, but Darkness and Hope is currently 141 pages, and will likely be close to, if not over, 160 pages when it is done. The final story, Light and Love, will be started soon after I finish the second. Be sure to check out the google drive links in my profile to see the stories in their original formatting. Also, those stories are updated as soon as I write a new section, as they are my way of backing up my work. So if you get tired of waiting on an update on Fanfiction or Deviant Art, be sure to check them. They retain the Novel-style formatting, which I feel is easier to read.

Artwork is now available for this story. Currently 3 scenes are complete, and more are on the way. If you would like to contribute, feel free to PM me, email me, or contact me on deviantart. My screen name there is Volyren.

To view the artwork, just visit my deviantart page, and under my favorites is a section called Crystal Hearts Artwork. Fanfiction removes all email addresses and links, so I will try to post this in a way that is easy for you to copy down. Just use the symbol written in the (Parenthesis)... and (SLASH) /

.com (SLASH) favourites (SLASH) 59616348

I hope you enjoy the stories. This first one was written for a little girl who is dear to me, but the rest is all for YOU. I have never written fan fiction, and never planned on writing any. But it feels nice to get credit for some work that I have done, as opposed to my job as a ghost writer, which means someone else always takes credit for my writing. If there is anything you wish to see or an event you need more info on, please send me a PM, and I will do what I can to include your wishes, or answer your questions. This first story is appropriate for ALL ages, but the second story would be rated something like PG-13. I leave it up to any parents to decide if it is right for their children or not.

Please leave a review if you like, and be sure to check out the second story. It is already posted here and on my google drive. Don't worry about reading it, though it is not yet complete, as I will NEVER make an update that stops in the middle of action. I only update the google drive when I have completed a section/chapter and I only update the stories on Fanfiction when I have at least 10-20 pages to add.

Thank you all for your kind words and support. These stories are written purely for your enjoyment. I hope I do justice to the expectations you have about a show you enjoy.

**Steven Universe**

_Book 1 of the Crystal Hearts Trilogy_

_Rage and Beauty_

By Josh Hines – (Volyren Nightsong)

***BREAK***

Steven walked aimlessly down the stretch of beach in front of his house. The Gems were away on another mission, and once again, he was alone.

Alone, and VERY bored. He bent down to pick up a colorful shell with a speckled pattern emblazoned across its ridged surface. It was a beautiful shell, and he got excited thinking about showing it to Amethyst. She really liked collecting shells.

Or at least she used to. Steven's excitement faded. He and Amethyst hadn't gone shell hunting in over 2 years. Anytime he asked her, she quickly made up an excuse and then took off to her room. Sometimes he wondered why Amethyst stopped shell hunting with him, but in the back of his mind, he seemed to remember something bad happening, but it always seemed hazy in his mind, and he never really asked her about it. He just felt like he wasn't supposed to.

This shell would probably just make her act all weird and distant again if he tried to show it to her. Sighing loudly, He chucked the shell into the waves and watched it disappear below the rolling, foaming surface.

He stared off into the horizon, trying to think of something to alleviate his boredom. For some time, he sat, thinking to himself. Not coming up with anything, He stood up and brushed the sand from his pants. He took in a deep breath and let it out through his mouth, sputtering his lips as he shoved his hands in his pockets and began walking back to the house.

He kicked at the sand as he slowly walked, his head hung in bored defeat. Just as he was resigning himself to another boring day of television re-runs, his foot caught in a pile of sand as he kicked, and he tumbled forward, grabbing his aching stubbed toe.

Looking at the sand pile he had tripped over, Steven began brushing away the sand with his hands, until he felt something hard. He dug around the object until he was able to pull it free from the sand, and brushed away the grit and shell fragments.

"Whoa!" Steven exclaimed as he examined the object he had just freed from the sand. It was a cut gemstone, as black as night. Steven held it up to the light, but it wouldn't reflect any of the sunlight. He thought he saw something red swirling in the depths of the gem.

As he examined his find, he heard a 'whoosh' and saw a bright light shining through the windows of his home.

"Yes!" Steven exclaimed. "The Gems are home!"

Clutching his find, he skipped back to the house and up the steps.

"Hey guys!" Steven called out as he ran through the door "Check out what I found!"

Steven looked around the house, but he couldn't see the Gems anywhere.

"Aww, man!" Steven wailed. "They already went to the temple…"

The sound of bottles rattling caught his attention and he made his way into the kitchen in time to see Amethyst shutting the fridge. "Oh hey, Steven." She said as she gulped down a soda and let out a mighty belch. "What's up?"

"Where did Garnet and Pearl go?" Steven asked.

"To the temple heart to seal some bad guy gems and stuff whose butts we just kicked." Amethyst explained as she picked at her teeth with her fingernail. "Why?"

"Oh, nothing, really…" Steven said coyly, hiding his hands behind his back. "I just found this really cool thing on the beach… you know… nothing important…"

"Ooooohhhhh!" Amethyst exclaimed "Lemme see, Lemme see, Lemme see, Lemme see!" she shouted as she chased Steven around the kitchen table.

"Ok, ok!" Steven laughed. "I'll show you."

As he brought his clamped hands forward, hiding the object within, Amethyst's smile seemed to fade.

"Steven, is it another shell?" She asked questioningly.

"Don't worry, I promise its not!" he said, happy to see the curiosity return to her smiling face. "It's Waaaa-aaaaaay cooler than some silly seashell!"

Amethyst was hopping up and down in excitement as Steven opened his hands to show the black gemstone to his friend.

"Coooooooool!" Amethyst said as she snagged it from Steven.

"Hey!" Steven protested as he chased after Amethyst. "I found it!"

Amethyst let out one of her patented scratchy-throated laughs as she hopped over the couch, and around the table, playing keep away from Steven. She stopped by the window, and held the gem up to the light as Steven jumped up, swiping at it.

"Hmmmm." Amethyst pondered. "This thing seems kinda familiar, Steven."

Steven noticed her expressions change as she examined the black gem.

"Maybe we should show this to Garnet, Steven."

"Ok!" Steven exclaimed. "But I get to show her, I'm the one that found it after all!"

"Alright you dork!" Amethyst teased. "Go long!"

Steven laughed as he backed up to catch the gem.

As he was running to the other side of the house, the temple door opened and Pearl and Garnet walked through discussing their latest mission. Pearl noticed the dark gem clutched in Amethyst's hand as she drew back to toss it at Steven.

Pearl's blood ran cold as her mouth opened in shock and fear. Garnet noticed her expression and turned to look at what Pearl was so transfixed by.

Amethyst chucked the gem towards Steven's outstretched arms. As it spun through the air Garnet was struck by overwhelming terror as the ebon-hued shard hurtled towards Steven.

"Steven! No!" Garnet yelled.

Startled at her tone, Steven looked at her, wondering what was wrong. "What?" he asked.

The gem reached the other side of the room, and slipped through Steven's distracted hands, dropping to the floor, and shattering into hundreds of tiny shards.

"NOOOOOoooooooo!" Pearl screamed.

Steven stepped back, holding his hands up in an apologetic gesture. "I – I – I'm sorry!" Steven cried. "I didn't mean to!"

Before any more could be said, there was a hissing sound, as tendrils of black smoke began rising from the shattered gemstone.

Steven backed away from the writhing mass, as it twisted and swirled in the air.

"This is bad." Garnet stated "Really bad."

The smoky mist wound itself into a ball like mass and accelerated toward the open door, heading toward the beach.

Garnet and Pearl gave chase and a confused Amethyst and apologetic Steven tailed behind them.

A short distance down the beach, the blob of darkness began to expand and take the shape of a humanoid figure. The gems fear grew as the inky blackness became solid.

Two wicked horns protruded from the entity's head, as serrated spikes coalesced along its shoulders, arms and legs. A sickly looking leather sash was draped across the armored plates of is body. The sash was studded with gemstones of nearly every hue in the spectrum. Each one was cracked and emitted a pale sickly glow, with dark energy crackling along their surfaces.

As the figure became completely solid, it grinned, showing off rows of serrated black teeth that reminded Steven of a shark. Its eyes opened, revealing glowing crimson orbs that made his knees get weak.

Steven was terrified. This thing looked like something that would scare horror movie monsters.

The being flung back its head and bellowed a guttural scream that was so loud, Steven had to cover his ears in pain. It seemed to rob all of them of their strength, and the Gems collapsed to the sand in shock and utter disbelief.

Eyes wide, Pearl muttered breathlessly "No…. The Blood Diamond…"

Clutching at Amethyst's hand, Steven was even more afraid when she gave no response. Her face was wet with tears, and a look of horror was frozen on her face. Steven squeezed her hand over and over, but could get no response from her. He turned to Garnet and managed to ask in a shaky voice, "What… is that!"

Behind her mirrored shades, horror blossomed in Garnet's eyes. Calming her voice as best she could, she answered the frightened child. "His name is Zircon, but the gems have always called him 'The Gem Cutter'. Steven, you need to run away now!" He stood, mouth open in protest, but the seriousness in Garnet's tone silenced him as his eyes welled up in fear.

Pearl fought her own fear and managed, "Run to the temple and lock the doors, then remove all the gems from the door, Steven, now!"

He looked back to Amethyst for support, but she was still staring ahead as if in a trance, with tears streaming down her cheeks. She was paralyzed by fear.

Scared and confused, Steven yelled his fright and ran from the scene, wiping tears from his eyes.

His mind raced as his shaky legs carried him away from the scene.

They are gonna be ok, he thought. They always are. This looks really dangerous, and I know I will just be in the way. Calming himself with the thought, he looked up at the house they all shared together on the beachside cliff.

This was Shelter. Safety. Sanctuary.

This was home.

But it was empty. He looked back amid the gathering darkness on the beach, and saw Garnet helping Pearl to her feet as they struggled against the buffeting winds emanating from the dark figure. Amethyst still sat slumped on the ground in shock. Steven was torn.

In front of him lay the safety of the temple sanctuary that his home was built around.

But behind him lay the very people who made that place home. Without them, that place was no longer home.

Blinking away his tears, he decided to go against Pearl's counsel, and stand with his friends.

As he made his way back towards the heart of the maelstrom surrounding Zircon he worried about the Gems. They were more than his friends or teachers. They were his family, and he loved them. Through the whipping sands and his squinting eyes, he saw that Amethyst was still slumped in a heap near the cliffside. Her eyes, wide, with tears streaming down her face.

Steven dropped to his knees as a sharp pain filled his chest. He remembered this feeling. He had tried so hard to forget it.

"Amethyst!" Steven screamed.

Panic. Dread. Fear. Anger. These emotions swirled within Steven, all vying for control, as Steven fought just to remain standing with his trembling legs. But another feeling burned within him. One he didn't understand, and had only felt once before. It gave his muscles the strength to quell their trembling. The strength to take a step forward. And another.

The stinging sand that was stinging his skin suddenly lost its bite. The buffeting winds that slowed his progress hindered him no more. This burning ache inside him, made him feel ill. He felt as though he would throw up. His fists clenched involuntarily. His arms trembled. He could feel every quickening heartbeat throbbing through his body.

What was it he had heard Garnet call this feeling?

Amethyst's smiling eyes, wet with tears.

Her laugh stricken silent in a mouth open in shock.

That was what it felt like. That feeling Garnet warned Steven against.

Rage.

He's causing my family pain, Steven thought.

Rage.

I'm going to show him REAL pain.

Steven's vision began to blur. Darkness crept in at the edges of his sight. Tears washed down his face. His jaw clenched, and a guttural growl escaped his throat. As his vision began to fade, Steven fought against it. It was just like that time, 2 years ago, on the beach. As he began to black out, the memories flooded back.

***BREAK***

Never having parents in a traditional sense, except for his dad, who was more of a friend than a parental figure, his family was the three crystal gems, who have raised and taught him nearly all he knows.

Pearl, the excitable, prim and proper swordswoman, always worrying about Steven's safety, despite his vocal and often protests. She was always trying to teach Steven about the 'boring stuff', like the history of the gems, their duty, as well as proper social etiquette, which Steven did his best to ignore. She always made him feel like he needed to make sure she could not see him having fun, for fear of the lecture about whatever activity he was engaged in was improper behavior for a gem. But despite this, he knew she worried over him out of love, and not because she felt him lacking in any way.

There was Garnet, the tall statuesque leader (though both her and Pearl would disagree) of the gems. Always hiding her eyes behind those mirrored glasses, she was at times hard to read, but Steven knew that she, above all was more of a mother to him, always believing in him, and letting him chart his own course without letting him stray too far into danger. More than anything, Garnet made Steven feel safe. His earliest memories were of Garnet sitting by his bed so that he could sleep without fear of the dark. Each morning she would still be sitting in the chair, asleep at her vigil, and that made Steven feel guilty. Even though he was still terrified to be alone in the dark, he protested vehemently until Garnet agreed he would sleep without her constant watch. Knowing that Garnet was resting well that night, helped him get through his fear.

And then there was Amethyst. She constantly teased Steven, played pranks on him, and got him into trouble with both Garnet and Pearl. But he never held those things against her. If anything, he liked Amethyst best. She was fun to be with, and despite her mischievousness, whenever Steven was feeling down, she was the first one to put a smile on his face. She was always taking him to his favorite doughnut shop, or to the amusement park. She and Steven even frequent the local amateur wrestling league where Steven becomes 'Tiger Millionaire', Amethyst's tag team partner and manager. No matter where they go together, Steven knows that he will have fun as long as Amethyst is with him. Of all the gems, he felt closest to the wild, immature Amethyst. Though he's never said it aloud, Steven considers her to be his best friend.

***BREAK***

Walking along the beach one day, he and Amethyst were picking shells and occasionally chucking handfuls of wet sand at each other, having fun, when he noticed a group of older boys lounging on the beach.

Thinking he would get them in on the game, he prepared a hand full of sand to toss, but Amethyst grabbed his arm. Steven looked at her, puzzled, but the smiling face he expected had grown into a sad and serious glare that was strange to see on the upbeat goof that he knew her to be.

"Let's head home Steven" she said flatly, staring down at the sand at her feet.

"Amethyst? What's wrong?" Steven queried.

"Nothing, Steven, let's just go, ok? I'm getting tired." she said, quite unconvincingly.

"But, Amethyst, why do you look so-" Steven was interrupted by raucous laughter from the group of older boys.

"Hey, Paul, look, its that fat purple weirdo!" One boy laughed and pointed at Steven and Amethyst.

The others snickered, and one took out his phone and started snapping photos. "Oh man this is great! Wait till I show tiffany, she is gonna flip! "

"Yeah, she did bet you a date that you couldn't find something freaky enough to make her butt-ugly sister look good didn't she? I mean, Sheila is fat, but at least she's not freakin' purple, yo!"

The last of the group of four stood up and stared intently at Amethyst and recognition struck him. "Hey! Jeremy, dude, that is the freak from the doughnut stop! I told you! It's the dough-ball!"

They all began laughing and the tall one, nearly double over with his misguided mirth. "Oh man, that's classic, a doughnut eating dough-ball!"

"Ha! Hey Zack, dude, that doughnut eating doughball is all moldy! Can't you see the white hairs growing off of it?"

Their laughter increased and Steven felt Amethysts hand tighten on his. His confusion at their behavior subsided as he realized that they were making fun of her. He was about to shout and call them jerks, when he felt several raindrops hit his arm, and he looked up to the sky.

But the sun was shining with not a single cloud in sight

He turned to Amethyst, and saw tears streaming down her face. Her grip was tightening and her hand was trembling. The boys kept laughing and pointing, and the one called Jeremy kept snapping photos.

Steven looked back at the pain on Amethysts face, and something tore inside of him.

He had never felt like this before. It made him sick. Tears came to his own eyes, and confused him, because he wasn't sad. He felt like he was going to explode.

This wasn't right.

He knew about bullies. He had his share of them, but if you laughed at yourself along with them, you usually ended up making new friends.

However, this was different.

Steven didn't want to laugh with them. They were hurting his friend.

He wanted to hurt them back.

He ripped his hand out of Amethysts and started storming off towards the group. Every cruel laugh made his stomach hurt more, and his teeth were grinding, even though he wasn't trying to clench them. He heard Amethyst yell to him, "Steven!" He turned around, and that strange feeling left him for a moment. "Please, Steven...stop..." she cried, through her tears.

Am I hurting her feelings too? Steven thought, horrified.

He started back towards Amethyst, just wanting to get away from this place and these 'people'.

"Oh, man!" Jeremy struggled to say through his laughter "looks like the dough-ball has a little dough-baby!"

Steven stopped in his tracks. That gut wrenching feeling was back, only much worse. He began to tremble. His heart was racing, beating so fast, that he could feel it pumping blood all over his body, like a heavy bass beat from standing too close to a concert speaker.

He spun around on the boys to yell at them to stop, but the words wouldn't come out of his mouth. His vision blurred and everything felt like it was spinning around him, but he locked his eyes on the group intently and opened his mouth.

"How dare you hurt my friend?! What gives you the right?! How can you hurt her feelings like this?!" is what he wanted to say, but instead, all that came out was a growl.  
>He felt very strange, both weak, and full of energy at the same time. He felt his knuckles pop as his fists clenched uncontrollably. The edges of his vision darkened and he suddenly felt like he was falling asleep.<p>

I cant sleep now! He thought. I have to stop them!

Amethyst's tear stained face flashed before his eyes, and his body stiffened.

They hurt my friend.

The black edges closed in until only a pinpoint of brightness remained in his vision. He felt himself falling. He struggled against it, but it was as if the earth had opened up under him, and he was swallowed whole.

He felt himself slipping away. As he lost consciousness, he mustered his final thoughts.

Amethyst.

They hurt my friend.

IM GOING TO HURT THEM BACK!

***BREAK***

He slowly opened his eyes, and they adjusted to the bright fluorescent lighting. Pearl and Garnet were standing over him.

"Oh, Steven!" Pearl exclaimed. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

"You gave us quite a scare, little man" Garnet said calmly.

His vision began to focus, and he stared up at the gridwork of ceiling tiles, punctuated every so often by a fluorescent light fixture. He was confused.

As his hearing adjusted, he began to notice a monotonous beeping sound, and turned his head to locate the source. He squinted in the harsh bright light and saw a set of bars to his right, attached to the bed he way lying on, and beyond that, a rectangular stand with blinking lights and digital numbers like his alarm clock at home. This seemed to be the source of the beeping.

Realization set in, and he knew he must be in a hospital.

Steven sat up, and immediately regretted it. His head was pounding and his body ached like he had pulled every muscle all at the same time.

"Slow down, Steven" Garnet said, pushing him gently back down to the bed. "You need to take it easy, you've been through a lot."

Confused, he tried to understand what could possibly have made him feel this way. Why would he be hurting so much? Why was he in the hospital?

The last thing he remembered was going to pick up seashells with-

"Amethyst!" Steven shouted as he sat bolt upright in bed.

"Where's Amethyst?!" He pleaded with the two Gems.

They glanced at each other, and Garnet pushed Steven back again. "She is back at the temple, Steven, she is fine."

Pearl swallowed hard. "But Steven, you did something horr-"

Garnet cut her off with a glance. "Get some rest Steven, we will talk later."

Steven was too tired and sore to complain or resist, and with the knowledge that Amethyst was safe at home, he drifted off into a blissfully restful slumber.

***BREAK***

The doctors said he could go home the next day, and despite asking many times about what had happened, Garnet and Pearl never really answered him. They stammered over their explanations again and again, and even though more than 2 years had past since that day, Steven still hasn't completely figured out what happened. From the bits and pieces Pearl lets slip, and the cryptic and vague comments Garnet spoke to him, he understood that the confusing feeling he was experiencing was anger, as Pearl said, though later Garnet called it rage.

Steven didn't know what rage was, but he knew about being angry. Amethyst gets angry at Pearl, and Pearl often gets angry with Steven, but Steven couldn't remember ever being angry with anyone. He could imagine being angry, especially at those guys who made Amethyst cry.

Actually Steven was pretty sure he was STILL angry at those mean boys. But Steven didn't think that was enough to explain the strange burning feeling he felt. Sometimes he felt like he might experience that awful event again anytime he thought about Amethyst crying.

Steven imagined Pearl crying.

That made him sad.

He tried to imagine Garnet crying, but he couldn't do it. It just seemed so out of character that it made him chuckle.

But when he thought about Amethysts bright joyful eyes narrowing in pain his heart hurt and he felt like he was going to throw up.

He didn't like feeling that way, so he pushed it out of his mind.

He didn't like not knowing what happened that day, and it gnawed at him. But Amethyst never spoke of it again, and Pearl and Garnet both made him make a 'very serious' promise to never speak of it again to her. He really wanted to ask, but he had never seen either of them as serious and stern as when they made him swear not to ask her.

Once, a few months after the incident, Steven saw one of the boys at the doughnut shop, and he called out to him, eager for answers. When the boy (Steven thought he was the one named Jeremy) turned around and saw Steven, his eyes grew wide with terror, and he threw his box of doughnuts at Steven and ran away screaming.

He ran in kind of a funny way.

Steven didn't remember him limping when they were at the beach. Questioning Garnet about the boy's behavior later that day, got him no answers, only another 'very serious' promise to never go near those boys again.

This was all just too confusing for a young boy to comprehend, and so he let it fade from his memory.

In time, the only painful thought he would recall was that that day was the last time he and Amethyst ever went shell picking.

***BREAK***

The ride home from the hospital was uncomfortable. Garnet and Pearl were unusually quiet. Steven felt like he was in trouble, even though they had fervently assured him that he wasn't. He didn't like feeling this way. He just wanted to go to his room and sleep.

When they got back home later that afternoon, Amethyst was in her room, and wouldn't come out. His dad had stopped by and checked up on him. He looked like he was going to cry, even though Steven assured him that he was ok.

He just didn't feel like being around anyone at the time. He just wanted to be alone. He felt like he had done something wrong, but he didn't know what. The guilt knotted up in his stomach and wouldn't go away.

He was still very tired and sore, and left the others to their hushed conversation. He could tell they wanted to talk about something, but they wouldn't while he was there.

Steven went to his room and collapsed onto his bed. He stared at the ceiling while he pondered yesterday's events. He could hear his father and Garnet and Pearl talking in the living room, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. All he could tell was that his dad sounded worried and Pearl and Garnet were trying to calm him down.

Steven was lost in his thoughts as night came, and as he pondered over what had happened to him his thoughts were interrupted by movement in the periphery of his vision.

Someone had walked by his door and headed towards the ladder to the roof. He could still hear Pearl, Garnet and his dad in the other room. He slid off the bed and peeked around the door.

"Amethyst?" he called. But he didn't see anyone there.

He grabbed his blanket from the bed, and walked down the hall to the ladder. He opened the roof hatch, and took a deep breath, as the crisp night air, salted by the sea filled his nostrils.

The stars were brightly lit tonight, and with not a cloud in sight, and the moon nearly full, the view was gorgeous.

"Amethyst?" Steven called out again, hopeful.

He stepped out onto the roof, and glanced a familiar shape sitting on the edge of the roof.

"Amethyst?" he called once more.

Her mane of white hair shifted as she turned her head to the side "oh. Hey Steven" she said quietly. She turned back to the view, leaning back on her arms with her short legs dangling on the edge of the roof. She stared wistfully at the twinkling lights in the night sky.

Steven carefully made his way to the edge and sat down beside her, mimicking her posture and took in the beautiful sight as well.

They both sat in silence for what seemed to Steven like hours. He would glance at her every few minutes, trying to gauge her feelings, until finally his boyish curiosity could bear the silence no longer.

"Amethyst?" He said, pausing to think what he should ask.

She kept staring at the sky, as if trying to divine some answers to internal questions amid the morass of luminescent pinpoints clustered in the heavens. "Yeah, Steven?" She said without looking away from the stars.

"What..." he started, but then paused.

"What happened? Why did I pass out? Why is no one telling me what's going on? Why is everyone so worried? Why did my dad look like he had been crying? What aren't you guys telling me?" So many questions in his mind that he wanted to ask, but just like yesterday, his voice failed him, and banished the need for those answers.

In truth, in his heart, there was only one question to ask.

"Are you ok?"

Amethyst crossed her arms over her stomach and broke her gaze at the sky to lower her eyes onto nothing in particular. She didn't say anything for a moment.

Afraid he had upset her, Steven started to apologize, but before he could, Amethyst spoke.

"It's okay, Steven... I'll... be okay" she said as if she were trying to convince herself more than Steven.

"NO!" Steven shouted, his outburst startling Amethyst.

"Steven, it-" She started.

"No, it's not!" He cried, "It's NOT okay!"

Amethyst forced a smile, and put her arm around Steven. "Steven, don't worry. You are gonna be ok, don't worry about what happened, alright? Those boys will be fine, and you aren't in any trouble, so please stop worrying ab-"

"I don't care about that!" Steven interrupted.

She turned to him, stunned at his very un-Steven-like outburst.

"Amethyst, I can't stand it!" He said, his eyes welling up "People shouldn't be able to lie like that!"

Confused, Amethyst queried "What lie, Steven, who was lying to you?"

"Not to me!" Steven exclaimed with tears in his eyes. "About you! How could they lie about you, right to your face!"

"What.." She began, still not understanding what the excitable young man was saying

"Calling you fat and ugly..." Steven's fists clenched at his sides. "How can people lie and say such mean things? How? Tell me how they can do that!"

Genuinely shocked and touched at his sentiment, Amethyst tried to think of something to tell him. Something to explain the cruelty of the world without ruining that innocence that made Steven so... well... 'Steven'. She tried to think of what Garnet would tell him, but still drawing a blank, all she could manage was "umm... well..."

Words escaped her as tears ran down Steven's normally perpetually smiling face.

"I... I ... don't know, Steven... I just don't have an answer for you."

He wiped his face on his sleeve and stared at the ground, wondering just when the world became such a confusing and horrid place.

She sighed, and managed a smile. "Steven, quit taking things so seriously. You're gonna end up like Pearl. You're gonna worry a hole in your head and start yelling at everyone and walking around like you have a stick up your butt."

Steven sniffled and cracked a smile.

"Come on Steven, lighten up. You can't let things like that get to you, ok? Some people are jerks and they like to be mean to people. You just can't let them upset you, or they win." she said as she smiled at him.

But her smile was not returned.

"But they hurt your feelings. You were crying!" Steven sobbed again.

"I... I know, but..."

"You always smile!" He continued, "But they made you cry! I've never seen you cry before!"

"Steven, " She began.

"I never want to see you cry again!" Not giving her a chance to respond, he lowered his voice in remembered pain. "It hurt so much..."

"What do you mean, it hurt?"

"Here" he said, clutching his chest. "When I saw you cry, it hurt. Really bad. I thought I was gonna throw up."

Touched, she gave Steven a squeeze. "Steven, you're a real sap, you know that? Ha-ha."

"I know..." he said sheepishly, wiping his eyes with his now soaked shirtsleeve.

They sat there a while more, next to each other, the cool night's breeze thwarted by the warmth of their one armed embrace.

Now calmed, Steven once more put the question to her. "Amethyst? Why did they call you ugly, I don't understand."

"That's not an easy thing to answer Steven. Everyone looks different, you know? I mean, if we all looked the same, how would we tell each other apart?

"I know that," Steven groaned "That's just common sense. I mean why are people mean to you just because you're different-looking?"

Amethyst sighed. "Steven, people look at what is on the outside and sometimes they like what they see, and sometimes they don't. It's like...hmmm... You know, Steven, I can't really explain it, its just something you will learn on your own when you are older."

"Aww!" Steven complained, "That's just what people say when they don't want to explain things to kids."

"Okay, okay!" Amethyst groaned, not really seeing a way out of this one. "You know how Garnet and Pearl are beautiful, right?"

"Yeah...?"

"ok, well, most people like the way that Garnet and Pearl are beautiful, and some people might like Garnet better, and other people might like Pearl better"

"Uh-huh" said Steven.

"Alright, well, its..." Amethyst struggled to find a proper explanation for Steven " And then you have other people who, well...aren't."

Stevens brow furrowed in bewilderment " Who aren't what?"

"...Beautiful" Amethyst sighed.

Still looking confused, Steven asked " I don't get it. Who isn't beautiful?"

Silently groaning and rolling her eyes, she wondered if it was innocence, or if Steven was just this dense. He wasn't making this easy for her.

"You know, Steven... Other people... " Her smile faded as she spoke. "...Like me."

There was silence for a moment as Steven digested what his friend was saying.

"WHAAAA-AAAAAAT!?" Steven exclaimed loudly.

"Jeez, Steven, I can't explain it any better! There are pretty people and ugly people in this world and not everyone can be pretty. Do you understa.." She looked up and saw tears returning to his eyes and Steven's expression was one of pained betrayal.

"Amethyst!?" Steven blubbered "You believed their lies?"

His hand went to his chest "OWWWW!... ow ow ow ow ow!"

"How can you say that Amethyst! You aren't ugly!" Steven cried, fighting back that awful feeling of pain. He had never really thought about whether or not he liked the way the Gems looked. They were his friends and it didn't matter at all to him. But even as he said his next words, he knew that it was the absolute truth.

"How can you think you're ugly Amethyst? You're prettier than anyone I know!"

For the third time that night, Steven's words stunned Amethyst. She never thought of herself as pretty. She knew she wasn't skinny, she didn't have a toned body. Her skin was definitely not a normal hue, and her hair was a white as an old lady's. Garnet and Pearl were tall, strong, beautiful and muscular. She was comically short, chubby and lacked any semblance of the grace the other two carried themselves with. She had never gave much thought to her appearance, having long ago accepted that she would never be looked upon as a beauty. She was happy just NOT being noticed. Which is why those words from yesterday had hurt so badly.

"Steven... I .." she stifled back a sob "Thank you Steven, that's the first time anyone told me I was pretty."

She watched as he smiled a big goofy Steven grin, adorable even with bleary eyes and tear streaked cheeks. "Well, then I will tell you again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and the next day..."

Rolling her eyes and smiling, she drew Steven close "come'ere you big cheesy goofball!"

Expecting the usual headlock and hair tousling, Steven instead felt a kiss on his forehead and a big squeeze that nearly squashed all the air out of his lungs.

"Steven, you always make me smile." she said with genuine grin.

"Just returning the favor." Another hard squeeze later, he caught his breath. " Please just don't say that you aren't pretty again, ok? Cuz' its not true." His tone serious, he continued "Amethyst, you're my best friend. And it hurts when I know you're sad... so please get back to smiling and laughing again. You can even prank me some more. I don't mind so much."

"I promise, Steven. " she said. "Mmmmmmmwwwwaaaahhh!" as she planted another smooch to his forehead. "You're my best friend too." She reached into her pants pocket and pulled out something. "Here. I want you to have this."

Steven held out his hand, and felt something heavy and hard drop onto his palm. It was a gemstone. Still warm from her pocket, and seemingly glowing with a faint inner light, Steven admired the beveled edges.

"Wow, thanks!" He happily replied. "What is it?"

"Its an amethyst. I pried it out of this robot's head a few weeks ago on a mission. Pearl wanted me to leave it alone, but it just looked too cool." She explained. "So don't let her know I gave that to you, ok, Steven?"

"Cool!" He exclaimed as he stared at the palm sized gem. "So, what does it do?"

Amethyst shrugged "Beats me. I've been using it as a nightlight the last few weeks. It seems to glow brighter when you squeeze it"

"Awesome!" Steven cried out as he squeezed the stone over and over, making it pulse. "Awww yeah, check it out...psht-psht-psht-psht-psht..." Steven beatboxed in tune to the blinking.

"Steven, you dork!" Amethyst laughed.

They sat there for a long time, staring at the stars, arms around each other, as Steven began to nod off, resting his head on Amethysts shoulder.

"Come on sleepyhead, its way past your bedtime, and Pearl is gonna blame me." As Amethyst started to get up, Steven locked his arm and refused to let go.

"Can't we just sit out here a little longer?" he yawned. "I'm so comfortable"

She smiled. "Ok, Steven, we can stay a little longer." she took the blanket and draped it around them to keep out the chilly night air, as Steven nestled his head on her shoulder. She rested her head on his, and tried to stay awake.

"It's such a pretty night out tonight isn't it, Amethyst?"

"Yeah. I always like coming out here on clear nights. Its really peaceful."

Steven looked at his watch. "They aren't as pretty as you though"

Amethyst groaned. "Alright Steven, don't start weirding me out."

"What?" he replied with a smile," I was just keeping a promise."

"Huh?' Amethyst raised an eyebrow as Steven held out his watch. 12:02am

"See?" Steven explained "It's tomorrow. And Garnet says you should always keep your promises."

"Oh really?" she replied with a devilish grin. Steven knew that tone, he was about to get teased. " All this talk about pretty people, I just realized how pretty you were!"

"Eeew!" Steven laughed, "Guys aren't supposed to be pretty, they are supposed to be handsome!"

"Oh, I don't know..." Amethyst teased " We could get you a nice dress, and a tiara to go with that curly hair, you would be a pretty little princess!"

"Hey! Take that back!" he pleaded, laughing as Amethyst tickled his ribs.

"Nuh-uh! I don't have to!" she relented with the tickling "Cuz Garnet also says beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and good little Steven princesses always listen to auntie Garnet, right!"

"Ha." Steven tiredly muttered " So beauty is in the eye of the beholder, huh?"

"Yep, so if I say you'd make a pretty princess, you can't argue" she teased.

"Ok, ok." Steven replied with a yawn. "Beholders are those round floaty things with lots of eyeballs right?"

Amethyst groaned. "Yes Steven, that's what beholders are... goofball."

"And beauty is in their eyes, hmm..." He yawned again.

Steven snuggled his head back onto Amethyst's shoulder "hmm... That means you are really gross."

"What are you talking about now?" Amethyst asked.

"Because you must have eaten a ton of beholder eyes..."Steven replied as he drifted off to sleep.

Amethyst smiled as she lay her head against Steven's and yawned widely herself.

And the light from the stars kept the dark of night away for two sleeping friends.

***BREAK***

Shaking himself from his reverie, Steven struggled against the gale force wind and his own dimming vision as he struggled to reach his friends. He could see Garnet and Pearl fighting the evil-looking monster, and he was shocked that it looked like they were losing. He stared in shock as he watched the bad man swing a cruel looking black blade at Pearl, which broke her blade into tiny shards and knocked her back into the cliff. Garnet rushed in, delivering a powerful kick to the monster's neck, but he didn't even flinch. He grabbed her leg and slung Garnet like a rag-doll, end-over-end into Pearl as she was struggling to her feet. They both collapsed in a tangle, breathless from the impact. Amethyst snapped out of her shock and ran over to assist the two.

While she was helping them to their feet, Steven watched in horror as Zircon darted towards the group with astonishing speed. He raised his wicked black blade as he neared the group. Garnet and Pearl were still picking themselves up, and Amethyst's back was to the approaching danger.

"Noooooo!" Steven cried out, still too far away to render any assistance in time. That feeling surged in him once again, much stronger than he felt before, and as he screamed his warning, he could feel a great heat in his stomach as his gem flared brightly.

"Oooooohhhh! What do I do?!" Steven muttered frantically to himself. Amethyst was oblivious to the danger. Zircon closed in, his blade, crackling with dark energy descended on the unaware gem. Stephen closed his eyes and screamed.

He NEEDED his friends to be safe.

As that thought went through his mind, he felt something surge through him. It felt like he had grabbed hold of one of the electrified wires that were wrapped around the large animal pens at the petting zoo, only much stronger. He felt as though someone had punched him in the stomach, and he fell back as the pain coursed through his body.

When he opened his eyes, he could see Zircon standing in front of a huge pink colored sphere. Inside the sphere the Gems were looking around, bewildered at what happened, until Garnet noticed Steven several yards away sitting in the sand.

"Steven!" she yelled "Run away now! Do as you are told!"

Zircon was still studying the barrier before him. A twisted smile crossed the demon's cracked lips, revealing rows of jagged teeth. "This is the Rose barrier!" He locked his fearful gaze onto Steven, and cackled. "This must be her brat!" He began walking towards Steven, his red eyes shining with malice and madness. "Finally, I can complete my collection!"

Steven wailed in fear and began backpedalling across the sand. The Gems were pounding on the barrier and yelling for him to get away.

As the monster approached, Steven felt it hard to breathe. He had never been this frightened in all his life. Zircon stopped a few feet from him, smiling that shark –like smile. "Make this easy on yourself, whelp, and come to me now."

Steven was shaking, paralyzed with fear. The wicked entity stretched out its taloned hand to him.

"Come now, boy, and perhaps I will give your friends a relatively quick death!" He said, still sporting that sickening grin.

What? Steven thought. He is still going to hurt my friends? Steven looked pleadingly at the Gems, still trying to break through the barrier. They all had horrified expressions on their faces. They were worried about him.

He turned back to the dark creature. And this thing wants to hurt them. That feeling began burning through his body again, and Steven got angry. He crawled to his feet and stood before the demon, with his small fists clenched in balls.

"Leave… Them…. ALONE!" Steven yelled at the top of his lungs, as he felt that now familiar power surging through his body.

As he screamed at the monster before him, he could feel a loud 'thud' as if something very heavy had just smashed into the beach, and suddenly there was a deafening 'BOOM!' as the wind whipped around him.

He opened his eyes and saw Zircon tumbling through the air as he was launched out to sea by the force of the blast. In only a moment, Zircon's form could barely be made out on the horizon as he continued hurtling off into the distance by the force that Steven had unleashed.

He cracked a goofy grin at the Gems as his head began spinning "Garnet!" he called joyfully "Pearl! Amethyst!" He called out as he began swaying on his feet. "I… I did it!" and with his patented goofball grin, Steven collapsed face first into the sand, out cold.

"Steven!" Amethyst yelled. She and Pearl began pounding at the barrier with their weapons, their fists, their feet.

Pearl slashed away with her blades frantically calling to Steven to wake up. Amethyst screamed in frustration as she pounded away on the barrier, but neither gem was making a scratch in it.

Garnet darted forward and landed a massive blow against the barrier that shook the ground and nearly knocked the other two over. But no sign of damage could be seen against the crystalline barrier.

Garnet stood back, and adjusted her glasses. "This isn't working. We have to come up with a plan. Now."

Pearl began projecting images of possible solutions while Garnet stroked her chin, deep in thought. Amethyst on the other hand, dropped to her knees and began frantically digging away at the sand, hoping to tunnel under the barrier.

"Grrrrrrraaaaaaaahhhhhh!" she screamed as she hit the bottom of the barrier a few inches down. They were trapped in a spherical barrier with no visible means of escape.

Garnet and Pearl began quickly discussing a possible means of breaking through, and Amethyst began yelling in frustration as she launched into another futile assault against the impenetrable wall.

"You know, this is Rose's barrier," Garnet said flatly "And I don't think we have ever seen it breached until Rose decided to dispel it." Pearl and Amethyst sighed as they too knew how this barrier worked.

"But Steven might be hurt!" Amethyst pleaded "We have to get out of here before that terrible mons-…!"

But she was interrupted by a ball of black crackling energy screaming towards the shore, leaving a void in its wake as if the sea itself had been cleaved in twain by a mighty blow from the sword of a God.

Before the gems could even fathom the hopelessness of the situation, a massive shock wave rattled the barrier, followed by a massive wall of water which broke over the rose colored crystalline sphere.

As the foaming seawater receded, and the wet, sticky sand washed inland by the tidal wave sloughed off the outside of the barrier, the gems were treated to a sight which made their collective hearts catch in their throats.

Zircon stood before them, his red eyes smoldering with a rage that pierced the gems souls as they met his fiery stare. But the fear and despair they all felt came not from this demonic enemy, but from the shape clutched in his outstretched arm.

Dangling from Zircon's clenched fist, Stevens limp form hung by his shirt, clenched tightly in the taloned fist of The Gem Cutter.

His voice both boomed with power and hissed in a terrible whisper at the same time.

"Fate has smiled upon me this day, feeble gems." He cracked a horrifying, toothy grin. "This youngling's mother escaped my grasp the last time we met, thanks in no small part to your interference"

Garnet's teeth clenched in anger as she tried to formulate a plan to escape this seemingly hopeless situation.

Zircon's gravely chuckle made the gems hair stand on end. "I thought my lucky day had reached its height, when in all of this wretched world, it was the object of my long search that set me free, but then, the little whelp turns out to be the bearer of Rose 's Quartz!" He threw his head back and bellowed his mirth. "But then, you three try once again to keep me from my quarry, only to be trapped by the very one you fight to save!" His cackling laughter rose in pitch and betrayed the toll that his long imprisonment had taken on his sanity.

He gripped Steven's lifeless form by the throat, and ripped away his shirt, exposing the rose quartz, which was still pulsing with the remnants of the massive energy Steven had only recently channeled through it.

"STEVEN!" Pearl screamed, as Garnet began a furious assault on the barrier. Amethyst stared on, still overcome with the shock of Zircon 's return.

"And now..." he continued, ignoring the gem' s cries, "after breaking your predecessors, your family and friends, and claiming their gems of power, I finally complete my collection, and rid this universe of your meddlesome influence!"

His clawed hand reached out and grasped the gem in Steven's naval and sparks flew as the darkness clashed with the inner light of the gem that Steven's mother gave her life to bestow upon him. Dim, sickly light began pulsing from each cracked and corrupted gemstone embedded in his leather sash, that he had harvested from the fallen guardians.

Amethyst looked on in horror. Time seemed to slow as Zircon began to tear the gem free from Steven's body.  
>She was aware of Garnet and Pearl' s frantic attacks on the barrier, and their hoarse cries, but those sounds were muted, distorted, as if coming from a speaker underwater. It all seemed as though it was happening in a dream.<p>

As she watched her friend's life being taken before her eyes, the tears in her eyes flowed freely as she was overcome with a feeling of helplessness and horror at her own weakness. She sat unmoving while her friends used all their strength in a vain attempt to free themselves from a barrier they all knew to be unbreakable. Rose had used it to save their lives many times.

They all missed her terribly. But having Steven there was like having a piece of their lost friend close by. It eased the burden of their sorrow. But Amethyst had grown to love Steven just as much as his mother. They all had.

She thought of all the times that she had tricked him into doing something hilarious. All the laughs they had shared, the fun, and even the sadness.

She remembered that night under the stars, when she was suffering a wound that no salve could soothe, a deep pain that could not be healed through medicine or magic. And just as she was resigning herself to living with that awful pain, Steven sat down next to her, and kept her company. As much as her heart ached with that deep wound, she saw in Steven's eyes, a deeper hurt stemming from her wound than she herself was feeling. And even as she tried to soothe his pain and stop his tears, he showed her that rare quality that made Steven so precious to her.

Using only his heartfelt words, he had reached deep inside her and healed that dark gaping wound that had threatened to rob her of her sense of self worth. And not stopping at that miraculous feat, he reinforced that damaged piece of her heart and made it stronger.

No one in this world could make life's disappointments and sorrows seem as trivial and insignificant as Steven. No problem phased him. And though he might not be able to control his powers, or carry his weight on a mission, in Amethyst's eyes, no member of their team was more important. You could save the world a thousand times, but in doing so, lose yourself. Steven was always there to cheer them up, to improve morale, and in his own 'Steven-ey' way.

That was his contribution. He was the heart of the Crystal gems.

"He's my heart..." Amethyst muttered amid the chaos.

And he's being hurt.

***BREAK***

Pearl collapsed onto her knees in frustration as she began sobbing, fists still clenched against the barrier. Garnet had ceased her assault as well, having known from the beginning its futility, but still trying anyway.

"Oh, Steven…" Pearl sobbed. "I'm so sorry…'

Her face as stoic as always Garnet's fists clenched and shook as tears formed behind her glasses and ran down her cheeks. "Steven…" she muttered, her voice cracking.

A soul piercing shriek of anguish startled both of the gems from their sorrow. Amethyst was on her feet, pushing against the barrier. Her gem was glowing so bright that even Garnet's sunglasses could not shield her eyes from its brilliance. She brought her hand up to her face to shield her eyes from the glare as Amethyst let loose a bloodcurdling shriek that shook the ground as the purple light's brightness surpassed that of the sun.

***BREAK***

"And now you are mine, young one." The gem shifted and began losing its firm attachment to Steven's body. As he felt its hold loosening, Zircon smiled in triumph. "Finally, I will have complete power. " He smiled " How I have dreamed of this day, whelp. When the Gems will be powerless to stop-"

He was interrupted by a pained shriek so loud and sorrowful that he spun around, letting go of Steven's gem in the process. "Impossible!" his voice thundered as his eyes locked on the source of that mournful wail.

The inside of the barrier was obscured by a blinding purple tinted light. Only two small hands pressed against the rose colored wall were visible against the brilliant conflagration.

And with a trembling of the earth, a second scream, filled with rage and far louder than the first, issued forth from the barrier, which began to bulge outward, as crackling purple energy raced around its circumference.

Stunned at the power on display, Zircon dropped Steven's limp body to the sand and turned to face whatever threat might come.

As the scream built in pitch, the sands of the beach began to vibrate and the entirety of the beach became as liquid.

Readied for battle, Zircon stood, waiting for his chance to crush the last of the Gems, but the scream faded, and the rumbling earth calmed. The bulging barrier shrank back to its original diameter. The sands were again still, and the light faded to a faint glow, barely visible in the bright sunlight.

Two purple hued-hands still pressed against the barrier, and above them Amethyst's face, dripping with tears and sweat, twisted into a visage of unadulterated fury.

As Zircon took a deep breath, ready to laugh at the Gem's failure, a crunching, crackling sound stabbed through the air as if a thousand thunderbolts had struck a glass factory at the same time.

A bright purple crack appeared in the rose-hued barrier, and with a flash of violet light, it shattered outwards with such force that Zircon was thrown back several yards, rolling in the sand as shards of crystalline gem-energy flew over and past him, like the blast of a shotgun.

He rose to his feet, and glimpsed Steven lying in the sand, and lunged towards him, only to feel something crackling with energy wrap around his throat. His neck jerk back with such force he saw stars before his eyes.

Amethyst gripped her whip tightly and pulled back with all her strength.

Another yank sent him sprawling to the sand once more, at Amethyst's feet.

He looked up at her now dry eyes, filled only with determination.

It infuriated him.

The other two gems were collapsed in a heap, rendered helpless in the wake of the explosion. He glared up at Amethyst, and her expression drove his anger near to the point of madness.

There was no fear in her eyes.

I'm going to enjoy crushing this one, he thought as he readied himself to stand.

She was between him and his goal.

He looked past her to Steven, and smiled. Amethyst moved again, between them, blocking the view of his goal.

"You wont take him." She said matter of factly.

"He is our heart. And you will not take him"

Zircon chuckled. "I won't, will I?"

Black energy formed around his hand, coalescing into a wicked blade. In a single movement, he jumped to his feet, and cleanly severed Amethyst's whip.

Stunned, Amethyst tried to react, but Zircon was moving so fast, and she had used up so much energy.

"He's your heart, is that right? And I can't have him?" He sneered and raised his blade as he launched himself straight at Amethyst. "Then I will take yours!"

She saw him approach and knew she could not ready a defense in time. But his aim seemed off. She could dodge it if only…

'Oh no…' she thought. He isn't aiming for me.

As time slowed for her again that day, her purpose became clear.

"I'm so sorry, Steven." She thought to herself.

As Zircon closed in, Amethyst threw herself in front of Steven and stared ahead, eyes wide with no fear. She reached behind her and clutched Steven's body to her back.

"I'm so sorry I have to leave you Steven" she thought, as a final tear left her eye.

The sickening crackle of the black blade's energy thrust forward straight at Amethyst's heart.

She felt the point pressed against her flesh and she closed her eyes tightly, awaiting the end.

And the world exploded in brilliant light as a scream echoed across the void of time and space.

***BREAK***

Amethyst braced herself and held Steven tightly. Tensing all her body, she hoped to shield him from the force of the blow. She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the impact that would kill her.

There was a thunderous crash followed by a primal scream. The clanking sound of crystals impacting with tremendous force resonated in her ears as she held Steven tightly. She waited for the pain, for the force of the blow, but there was nothing.

She dared not look. A second or two passed and she slowly opened her eyes. Zircon's blade had stopped a few inches from her.

Slowly opening her eyes further she saw a bluish crystalline sword crossed the dark blade and held it fast from reaching her. She knew that sword!

"Pearl!" Amethyst exclaimed as she opened her eyes wide. "You're ok!"

But Amethyst's elation quickly faded and was replaced with confusion.

The figure holding that sword was definitely not Pearl.

A tall figure stood between Zircon and herself. He was wearing some sort of crystalline armor. It appeared to be a collection of mismatched and badly damaged pieces of armor in many different hues. It looked like every piece had came from some different set. His back was to her, and long curly black hair pulled back into a ponytail hung down his back. His head was covered with a helmet of what looked like diamond, with two horns protruding from it. Like the rest of his get-up, it too was in bad shape, cracked and damaged, and the left horn had been broken off, leaving a jagged nub where the sharp point should have been.

It looked like this warrior had been ran over by a convoy of semi-trucks. Through the cracks in the armor, she could see that his clothing was torn and tattered, in as rough shape as the rest of his wardrobe. She could see stained bandages and horrible scars in every spot where there was no armor or cloth to cover. Many of them looked red and inflamed as if they had been inflicted recently, but they criss-crossed jaggedly over older scars that had healed, probably long ago.

Amethyst immediately felt compassion for this young man. Whatever life he had led must have been a terrible ordeal to go through. He must be in terrible pain.

Her mind raced with questions. Where did he come from? Who is he? And more importantly, how is he using Pearl's sword?

Before she could voice any of them, Zircon growled and swung his sword down in a ferocious arc at the stranger's head. The mysterious warrior sidestepped deftly and caught the demon's blade on his own, and before Zircon could react, the young man twisted his blade to the side and over the top of that black blade and dropped his weight downward, pinning the demon's blade to the sand.

Amethyst stared in amazement and shock as the newcomer raised his other hand in the air, and made a fist. With a flash of red light, a large glove appeared on his arm, and he brought it down hard on the Gem Cutter's jaw.

As Zircon was launched backwards through the air by the force of the blow, Amethyst stared on, shocked.

That was Garnet's weapon!

Who is this man who can use her friend's powers?!

Amethyst got to her feet, hoisting Steven onto her back, but before she could ask the man anything, he turned to face her.

"Hello, beautiful." He said with a smile.

The stranger's cracked helm revealed a partial face with nearly as many scars as the rest of his body. A long deep wound ran down the left side of his face and through his eye, which was covered with a ragged patch. Bandages covered his forehead where it could be seen through the damaged helmet. It seemed so strange to see a smile on a face so marred by pain, but the kindness reflected in the warriors one good eye put her at ease, and seemed somehow so familiar.

"Who are…Why are you…" Amethyst muttered, struggling to comprehend this confusing mess.

The stranger dismissed his blade and glove, and leaped over to Amethyst.

He threw Steven's limp form over his shoulder and extended his hand to the confused Gem.

"Just returning the favor." The stranger said with a smile as he clasped her hand and jumped high into the air.

***BREAK***

Garnet shook her head to clear the sand from her hair as she pulled herself up from the ground. Pearl groaned as she began to come to. Garnet stood and helped Pearl to her feet. As they surveyed the battlefield for clues as to what had just happened, an armored figure landed at their feet.

Pearl drew her sword and Garnet took an offensive stance as they faced the newcomer.

"Stop!"

Startled, they turned to face Amethyst, who was reaching out as the strange young man passed Steven to her.

"He's here to help… I think." Amethyst explained as she lowered Steven's limp body to the ground.

Lowering their weapons, the Gems looked at the newcomer. Garnet raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

"So who are you?" She asked.

The young man just stared at the three of them for a moment, as if trying to think how to answer Garnet's question.

"He saved me from that thing!" Amethyst blurted out.

The two gems turned to her as she began explaining what happened.

"And what's weirder is that he used your weapons to kick Zircon's butt!" She exclaimed.

They all looked back to the young man, their eyes demanding answers.

"Okay, speak." Garnet ordered. "Explain."

The young man gave a nervous laugh, and brought his hand to the back of his head, stroking his ponytail. He sighed.

"I don't really have the time to answer you right now, but please know that I only want to help." He began, but he could see by their expressions that his words were unsatisfactory.

"Look, I know you have a lot of questions, and I want nothing more than to sit down with all of you, and answer every one of them. But right now we need to worry about…" He was interrupted by a bloodcurdling howl as Zircon rose up into the air amidst a torrent of dark energy, locking his glowing red eyes onto the assembled group on the other side of the beach.

"Him." The warrior finished.

The Gems readied their weapons and took defensive stances.

"Alright." Garnet spoke, "Amethyst, you head around to the left and try to lure him toward the cliff face. Pearl, take Steven somewhe-"

"NO." The young man spoke authoritatively. Garnet shot him a look that even her glasses could not hide the meaning of.

He continued. " Amethyst, take Steven over there, behind that outcrop of rock, and hunker down. I need both of you out of danger, NOW."

Amethyst was not used to someone else telling her what to do, but there was just something about him, in his eye, that made her trust him. She nodded, and picked the boy up gently as she bounded off towards the outcropping.

The young man turned back to face Garnet's judging glare. Unfazed, he spoke.

"Garnet, Pearl, I need your help. No matter what, we cannot let Zircon get anywhere near those two."

Garnet stared unflinchingly at the mysterious warrior for a moment, before nodding her head in approval. "Very well. But you owe us some answers when this is over"

Pearl nodded her understanding as well as the young man turned his back to them and faced the demon, who was still shrieking his rage to the sky.

"I promise you will have all your answers when this is over." The young man assured. "Because if we fail, we will have all of our afterlives to chat it up."

Zircon seemed to be drawing in more power, as the billowing could of darkness around him was growing massive. With a final gravelly scream, the darkness surrounding him flowed into his body and his razor studded body seemed to bulge with newfound muscle.

"Get ready, here he comes!" Pearl warned as she drew a second blade. Both she and Garnet gasped as the young warrior clenched his fists to his side, and a crystal sword and massive glove appeared in his outstretched hands.

Those are our weapons! Pearl thought to herself. Who is this man?

Garnet's raised eyebrow seemed to suggest the same internal questioning as Pearl's. But those questions would have to wait, as the young man had said, for Zircon was on the move.

The demonic figure flew through the air straight at them with incredible speed. Bracing for his attack, the group readied their weapons. However right before the snarling monster reached them, he disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

Weapons still at the ready, the two Gems and the newcomer scanned their surroundings. Zircon was obviously planning something, but as for what, they could only guess.

The young man glanced over to the rocks where he had sent Amethyst and Steven, worried that the demon's charge had been a diversion. Suddenly Pearl called out.

"Above us!"

The three gazed skyward as the demon screamed with rage. A shadow covered the group as the sun was blocked out by a massive orb of crackling dark energy. It slammed into the group with tremendous force, sending all three tumbling across the beach.

Pearl landed hard. A jagged rock slammed into her arm as she came to a stop and she felt something snap. Crying out in pain, she clutched her arm. As she rolled over and tried to get to her feet, there was a flash of darkness as Zircon materialized beside her. His leg swung out and slammed into the Gem's ribs, sending her backwards and slamming her back into the rocks of the cliff side.

The wind was knocked out of her and she struggled to catch her breath as she continued to clutch her broken arm. She had no time to recover, however, as Zircon was once again next to her, the tip of that cruel sword pointed at the pearl embedded in her forehead.

"Pathetic." The demon snarled. "You Gems are too easy to kill. Your gem will serve me much better than you." The evil entity pointed its clawed hand to the trophy sash across its chest. "See here, worm?" He pointed to a row of pale gemstones "Yours will be my 7th pearl."

Overcome with fear, Pearl could only stare as the demon drew back his arm for a final thrust. And then he bellowed in pain as a flash of white light appeared across his shoulder. The demons arm fell to the ground and the wicked blade of darkness evaporated and the darkness was dispersed by the wind.

A mismatched armored leg swung into view as it slammed across Zircon's nose, rocking his head back, and knocking him to the ground. The young man stood before Pearl as she tried to shake off the shock of nearly dying. He grabbed her good arm and pulled her to her feet, as Garnet came running up.

Pearl noticed the young man holding a crystalline rapier. It has a thin, long blade and a beautiful swept hilt of intricate design. It was definitely not one of her swords.

The man noticed her staring, and smiled. "Hey, I have tricks of my own, too, you know."

Garnet questioned "Are you all right, Pearl?"

Pearl winced with pain. "I think I'm okay, but my good arm is broken."

The statuesque Gem turned to where Zircon lay in the sand screaming in pain, clutching the stump of his arm. "Who…?" She began, but Pearl cut her question short.

"It…It was amazing!" Pearl exclaimed, jaw clenched in pain. " He did it. He saved me."

Garnet turned to the young man and tilted her head to the side, as if sizing him up.

"I had no chance to defend myself, and the Blood Diamond was about to strike, when out of nowhere 'he' showed up and took his sword arm with just one slice!"

The young man cautioned "Don't celebrate yet, all I've done is make him angry."

"But…" Pearl protested his lack of optimism.

"Garnet knows." The man began. "Zircon is the embodiment of darkness. His body is made of darkness solidified by his own inner power."

Pearl looked at Garnet pleadingly, but Garnet lowered her head, and she knew that what the young warrior was saying must be true.

"There is no way to truly harm him," The young man continued "he has no physical form to damage. He can become pure darkness at will, or make himself solid to attack us. I caused him pain just now, but it won't last."

Pearl's heart sank with that revelation.

"That's why you are formulating a plan to seal him back in that dark crystal prison as we are speaking, right Garnet?"

Garnet's mouth opened in shock. "Just how did you know that?" she asked.

"Look, let's just say I know how you think, and leave it at that, alright?" the young man smiled.

Garnet scowled and the young man laughed nervously.

"Garnet, I promise I have only your best interests in heart." The young man offered. "Your plan will work, no doubt, but…" The young man glanced at Pearl with sadness in his eye. "There will be costs…" He took a deep breath. "Besides, sealing that monster away will only be delaying the inevitable. Trust me." He stared into Garnet's eyes. "There is only one way to truly stop that thing. And that is exactly what I am here to do."

Behind her glasses, Garnet's eyes opened wide in astonishment. There was only one way to destroy Zircon. She had searched countless ancient texts for the answer, and was forced to abandon the idea altogether as the method entailed certain 'sacrifices' to be made.

With a roar, and an explosion of darkness, the Gem Cutter rose to his feet, snarling his rage through those stained and jagged teeth. "ENOUGH!" Tendrils of pure ebon energy grew forth from the stump of his severed arm, twisting and writhing into shape. As the energy solidified, a new arm extended towards the Gems, its cruelly clawed finger pointing right at the group.

"I have played with you insignificant worms long enough. You have never had any hope of stopping me." His other hand caressed the gemmed sash across his chest. "You might have your little gem powers, but I have more." He sneered. His red eyes flared in twisted amusement.

"How many gems do you whelps possess?" He asked. "Two garnets, one pearl, an amethyst, and it seems this fool has a couple of his own." Huffing his disapproval, Zircon bared his teeth in a wicked grin. "Six gems between you…HA! I claimed more than that in my first conquest."

He swiped his claws across the rows of cracked and tainted gemstones on his sash and as his claws touched each one, they began to glow with a sickly light. The demon smiled as the earth began to shake violently with the power that each activated gem unleashed.

"Oh no…" Pearl whispered as hope left her.

The young man dismissed his weapons and stepped forward. Taking a deep breath he brought his hands together, clasping both of his gems together tightly and brought them to his chest.

"Praying for a quick death, worm?" Zircon sneered.

With a deep and powerful yell, the man activated both gems in unison and threw open his hands, palms forward as twin beams of light rocketed towards the Gem Cutter. As they struck, a spherical barrier formed around Zircon.

Zircon laughed.

It was a cackling laughter, full of madness. "You pathetic fool! This will not hold me!"

He landed a mighty blow against the barrier, and with a crunch, fractures appeared around the impact point. As he drew back for another swing, the young man yelled.

"HAAAAAaaaaaaa!" As he sent another twin beamed blast toward Zircon, forming another barrier around the first.

"HAAAaaa! Haaaaa! Ha! Ha! Ha!" He fired off blast after blast, each barrier reinforcing the one before.

Taking a deep breath, he steadied his shaking hands.

"HYYYYAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" He yelled as he clapped his hands together and a thick beam of bright light issued forth and wrapped around the barrier, increasing in brightness until the sphere looked light a miniature sun, sitting there on the beach.

Amazed at the display of power, Pearl gasped and Garnet nodded in silent approval of this newcomer.

Spent, the warrior dropped to his knees and fell forward. Garnet reached out and caught him before he could faceplant in the sand. Through his quickened shallow breathing, the man offered a "Thanks."

She helped him to his feet and threw his arm over her shoulder, letting him lean on her.

"Is it over?" Pearl asked. "Did you stop hi-"

"No." The young man interrupted, breathlessly "I only bought us some time. It won't hold him long." The man tried to stand on his own and his legs began to give way. Garnet caught him around his waist, and steadied him.

"I'll be fine…" the young man protested. "I just used up too much energy. I just need to catch my breath."

Garnet helped the man to his feet again. "Come on, lets rest over here"

Leading them over to a shaded area some distance from Zircon, Garnet gently lowered the exhausted warrior onto the ground. He collapsed back onto the rocks, dropping his arms to his sides, breathing heavily.

Pearl limped over, still clutching her injured arm and flopped down next to him.

Garnet studied the young man. His mismatched armor was of an ancient design. She recognized the Gem battle armor. It was used long ago by Gems as they battle the forces of darkness. She had seen drawings, and once even a full suit in an ancient temple while on mission. It looked like this set had been pieced together from remnants scavenged from many different sources. No two pieces seemed to be made for the same individual. It was badly damaged, and shoddy repair work could be seen on every piece. The condition of his suit and the scarring on his body made one thing obvious. He had not had an easy journey.

His open palms revealed the two gems that she had seen him use to great effect in battle. She looked closely at them. A garnet in his left hand; A pearl in his right. Something caught her eye, and she leaned in to get a closer look at his gems.

"You saved my life…" Pearl said to the young man with a smile. "Thank you. Truly."

The breathless warrior smiled. "It's no problem, Pearl, you would have done the same for me."

He spoke to the gems with such familiarity. Curious, Pearl asked, "So you seem to know us well. But I don't even know your name." The statement was more a question, and she waited for the young man's response.

He sighed. "I…" he began, then his brow furrowed as he looked troubled. "I'm sorry. I can't tell you that."

Pearl frowned. "Why?" she asked. "You are obviously a person of honor. And we are on the same side."

The man smiled. He looked up at the sky. "A person of honor?" He closed his eye, and Pearl thought she saw him blinking away tears. "Thank you. That means a lot coming from you."

Pressing for more information, Pearl tried a different line of questioning. "Well can you at least tell us where you are from?"

The man dropped his gaze to the sand, and took another deep breath. "I'm sorry. I cannot tell you that either."

Pearl began to get frustrated. "Look, I thank you for saving me, and helping us, but this is crazy! Why are you being so secretive? You won't tell us your name, and that's your choice, but why can't you tell us where you are from?!"

"Because…" the man began, "Its not that easy… I'm from- "

"The future." Garnet finished for him.

The warrior stared up at Garnet, his eye wide in astonishment.

"The future!" Pearl gasped. "Garnet, how is that possible!?"

The man continued to stare at Garnet. "How did you know?"

Garnet adjusted her glasses. "Your gems." She spoke as the young man crossed his arms in an attempt to hide his gems, though it was already too late. "Both of them are cracked."

The man shook his head and let out a low chuckle. "I forgot how observant and knowledgeable you are."

Pearl was getting angry. "What is going on here! How is he from the future, Garnet? How is that even possible!"

Garnet looked at the young man, giving him a chance to answer the question.

He shook his head. "You go ahead, I need to catch my breath. This is going to get bad in a few minutes." He nodded in the direction of the light barrier, which was rocking with each blow from the captive demon.

"Alright." Garnet said.

She sat down across from the other two. "There was mention in several of the ancient Gem texts of a special teleporter that was used long ago by the ancient Gem warriors. This teleporter didn't just move Gems through space, but also time."

Pearl stared in shocked silence.

"There was only one ever made, and it was only used a few times before the Gems forbade anyone from using it. " Garnet looked into the eye of the warrior from another time. "It wasn't forbidden because of the fear of it being misused, since only the Gem guardians could use it anyway. It was forbidden because of what it did to the Gem who used it."

"What did it do?" Pearl asked.

Garnet continued. "The device requires a lot of Gem energy to activate. Too much, in fact, for any single Gem to provide. It required two Gems to activate, and even then it took so much power that it did permanent damage to those who used it."

"Permanent damage?" Pearl asked, looking at the newcomer with concern on her face.

"Yes." Garnet said. "The strain of using the device destabilized the elemental matrix of all the gems who used it." She looked down. "The damage is irreversible."

"But what does that mean, Garnet?"

Garnet hung her head. "It means…"

"She means that I took a one way trip" The young man interrupted. As Pearl looked into the stranger's one good eye with worry, he held up his hands and showed her the two gemstones in his palms.

She gasped and brought her hand to her lips, her eyes growing wet.

Both gems were cracked down the center, and fractures radiated outward from those deep fissures. Several pieces of gemstone had already crumbled and fallen out of the setting.

"I told you I didn't have much time" The man explained.

"NO!" Pearl yelled. "Garnet! There has to be something we can do, isn't there?"

Garnet gently shook her head.

"That's horrible!" Pearl cried. "This can't be happening! First Steven… and now…."

"He is fine." The man assured her. "Trust me on that one."

He met Pearl's pained gaze. "And I knew full well what was going to happen when I used that machine." He lowered his eyes. "The future is a horrible place… There is nothing there for me. Its been months since I have seen another living thing." Pearl gasped as she heard the news. "It's all because of him…" his jaw clenched. "He has taken away everything I have ever cared about." His hand clenched tightly around something he had taken from a pouch at his side. "He took away my family. My friends… " Tears welled up in his eye. " He took 'her' from me…"

He sniffled and tucked the object he was clutching under his breastplate. He wiped his eye and began to rise to his feet. "I came back here to stop all of it from ever happening." He stared at the crumbling barrier with fury in his eyes. "I exist now, only to see his end."

Pearl sobbed. "There has to be something we can do help you!" She forced a smile "You'll see, we will find a way to heal you! And you can stay here with us."

The young man made no effort to hide the tears in his eye, or the pain on his face. "Pearl, that would be more than I could ever ask for." He swallowed. "But even if you could heal me, I still couldn't stay with you."

The hurt was obvious on her face. "But why? Why couldn't you stay?"

His emotions in turmoil, he pleaded to Garnet. "Please. This is difficult for me… Can you explain it to her?"

Pearl turned her attention to Garnet, as she wiped at her face.

Garnet took a deep breath. "Pearl, please give our new friend a moment. He needs his strength to finish his mission."

The young man nodded his thanks as he wiped away his tears.

"Alright!" Pearl yelled, "But tell me why!"

A tear appeared from behind Garnet's mirrored shades and began rolling down her cheek. "Pearl. He is from the future. He came here to stop Zircon." She explained. "And if he is successful, then history will be changed."

"But that's a good thing isn't it?" Pearl looked to Garnet pleadingly.

Garnet looked to the young man.

Sighing, the man answered her. "It would be a great thing to change all the horrors that I have had to endure."

Shaking her head in confusion, Pearl pleaded "Then what is so horrible about changing the future?!"

"Pearl." Garnet said. "If the past is changed, then the future that this man comes from will… He will.." The normally stoic Gem's voice cracked.

"If I am successful here," The mysterious stranger began, "Then I will have never existed."

Her eyes wide with tears, Pearl shook her head. "No…" Blinking furiously to clear her vision, she hung her head. "That's… so.. unfair…"

She felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and into the young man's eye. He smiled and reached out a hand to wipe away her tears. "It's ok, my friend. We all have a purpose in life." He squeezed her shoulder in support. "And this is mine. Okay?" He smiled once more. "Now dry your tears, you are stronger than this. I know you are."

Pearl sniffled and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She nodded to the stranger. Despite the horrible circumstances, there was something calming in his smile, and in his eye. It felt so comfortable and familiar.

"We won't have much more time." He said, looking to his rapidly crumbling barrier. So let's see if we can't do something about that arm.

He took Pearl's broken arm gently in his hands, and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath. His twin gems began to glow with a warm golden light that enveloped her injured arm. Pearl gasped in wonder as the light grew brighter and the pain seemed to fade away to nothing. The light faded slowly and then disappeared. The young man exhaled deeply, and released her arm.

"There you go, good as new" he smiled at her.

Amazed, Pearl bent her arm and felt no pain at all. She could see no evidence of the break anywhere. "But…" she stammered. "how did you do that?"

The warrior from the future just smiled again, and looked to Garnet. "Amazing what you can learn from those old Gem texts, isn't it?"

Before Garnet had a chance to reply, the earth began to quake and the final outer barrier began to crack. Darkness started pouring out of the fissures.

The young man sighed. "Not long now…"

He turned to the two Gems. "Listen, I know you have so many questions, and I knew before I came here that I would not be able to answer them. So I prepared these." He reached into the pouch at his side, pulling out a small stack of letters.

"This one is for you, Pearl." He handed it over to the Gem, whose mind was still reeling from all the amazing revelations of the last few minutes. He flashed that warm smile that seemed so familiar to her once again, and then he turned to Garnet.

"And this one is for you, my friend." Garnet took the offered letter with a nod of her head.

He then handed her the last letter. "And this one…" he said, his face becoming serious. "This one is for Amethyst." Garnet reached out to take the envelope, but the young man kept his grip on it.

"You have to promise me that she will get this." His face was dead serious. "It is very important to me that she get this." He looked deep into the mirrored finish hiding Garnet's eyes. "Swear to me." He asked. "Swear to me that you will both protect her and make sure she gets this."

"Why?" Garnet asked quizzically.

"Consider it my last request." The young man said. "These words are for her alone." He maintained his serious stare. "Swear to me."

Garnet nodded. "I swear."

The young man released the envelope into the Gem's care, and nodded his approval.

"Now that that's out of the way, I want you both to join Amethyst and Steven behind the sheltered outcropping."

"No way!" Pearl protested. "We won't let you face that monster alone!"

"Look," the young man began but Pearl continued voicing her opposition.

"You have no right to ask us to sit this battle out! We are the guardians of this world, and it is our sacred duty to protect the people living here from threats just like this one!"

The man sighed as he worriedly looked to the rapidly failing barrier.

"And furthermore, we…" Pearl continued.

"ENOUGH!" The young man yelled, cutting her off. "I have planned this out in every detail." He swiped his arm in frustration, emphasizing his point. "I know you want to help, but for what I have planned, you will only be in my way!"

"But…!" Pearl began to protest.

"NO!" the young man yelled. "There is only one way to stop this monster for good, and you can't help me with it! Pearl opened her mouth to speak, probably to tell him that she 'could' help, but he cut her off once more "Listen to me! I have already paid for this plan with my life! There is NO going back now!"

Defiance still shone in her eyes, and she drew a deep breath to offer her counter argument. The young man frantically looked at the barrier. It was just a matter of moments. There is no time for this! He thought.

"Garnet!" the young man yelled. "I know you understand. I know you've read the same text I have. There is nothing you can do to help, and you KNOW it. Now please, explain it to her and get out of here now!"

"Pearl." Garnet began. "Let's go. NOW." Garnet's lip quivered, and her face was wet.

"But.." Pearl sobbed, pleadingly looking to the young man.

He placed his hand on her shoulder, and looked into her eyes. "Pearl." He said softly. "Please." Pearl began sobbing. Reaching out, he pulled her close in a warm embrace. Choking on his own emotion, he whispered to her. "I know our duty is to protect this world, but my reasons for coming here are purely selfish." He spoke. "My dear friend, I already lost you once." He gave her a squeeze. "I'm here to make sure that never happens."

Releasing her, he could see her questioning eyes. But there was no more time for explanations. His letters would have to do.

He grabbed Pearl and pushed her towards Garnet.

"Please…" the young man sobbed. "Take her and get to safety…please…" He begged.

Garnet stood straight and placed her fist over her heart in salute, and gave a slight bow.

He returned the gesture of respect. As his hand clenched over his heart, something came loose.

Looking down, he saw bits of white gemstone slipping from his fist and falling to the sandy beach below. He opened his palm, and his fears were confirmed. His pearl had deteriorated too far, and had crumbled. There was less than half of it remaining in its setting.

Not much time left at all.

Garnet picked up the still protesting Pearl, and with a last glance to the brave young man, she ran towards the spot where Steven and Amethyst were hiding.

Saying a silent goodbye to his friends, the young man turned towards his failing barrier as Zircon burst through with a cry of pure rage.

Screaming so loud that rocks began breaking free and cascading down the cliff face, the demon flew at the young man snarling, spittle flying from his toothy maw.

The warrior summoned forth his sword, and prepared to meet the Gem Cutter's charge.

He braced for the impact, holding his blade in a defensive stance, and tensed his muscles. There was a slight cracking sound, and to the young man's horror, fine cracks appeared at the base of his crystal sword and spread down the blade.

Not now! He thought. Of all the times for his deteriorating gem to fail him…

With a mighty yell, Zircon slammed into the man. Sparks shot out as his black blade ground against the warrior's crystalline rapier.

With a sharp crack, the crystal blade snapped in two and disintegrated into a shower of fine crystal shards. The young man could only watch in disbelief as the demon's blade of darkness slid past his guard and lodged deep into his chest.

He screamed out in pain as the Gem Cutter followed through on his strike and slammed his blade deeper into the man's body as he was pushed backwards. He was slammed hard into the ground as the blade passed through him, pinning him to the ground.

Fighting against the searing pain, the young warrior grabbed the blade that was impaling him, and struggled with all his might to dislodge it.

Laughing at his useless efforts to free himself, Zircon questioned. "So, little whelp from the future, you never saw this coming did you?!"

Teeth clenched, the young man fought against the pain that was threatening to drive him mad.

"Oh yes, little worm, I heard it all. Every word of it." He sneered at the squirming Gem as he twisted his ebon blade, eliciting a pained scream. "Oh, how delightfully heroic of you. Coming back here to save your little friends." The demon cackled maniacally. "Well, don't you worry. I'm not going to kill you. At least not yet." He smiled. " I think I will just take your limbs." He brought his grisly face close to the pinned warrior. "And then I will make you watch as I destroy all of your little friends." He laughed twisting the blade again.

Pain and rage flashed in the man's eye as he struggled against the demon. Blood and spittle foamed at the corners of his mouth as he forced his pained breaths through his jaw, clenched in anger.

"Don't worry, little worm, I know how to entertain a captive audience." The grinning monster assured him. "I will make sure to save the purple one for last."

The young man's eye opened wide as he screamed.

With a brilliant flash of red light, the young man brought his battle glove across his chest with all the strength he could muster. He slammed it into the demon's blade, and with a deafening crack, broke the blade at the hilt.

Separated from the demon, the broken blade dissolved back into darkness and faded, leaving a ragged wound in the warrior's chest, but freeing him from the sand. He began to back himself up, using his legs to push himself away from the demon as he held his battle glove up for protection.

Zircon laughed loudly as the youngling made his feeble attempts to escape. He walked slowly after the young man, never letting him get any distance between them.

"What's wrong, boy?" the monster teased. "I thought you were going to rid this world of me, and go out in a blaze of glory, or whatever nonsense you told those pathetic worms you call friends."

He brought his clawed foot down onto the young man's battle glove, grinding his weight against it. The young man gasped as the air was forced from his lungs. With a crunching sound, the glove, his last weapon, shattered under Zircon's foot.

"Oh, my, that is just terrible, isn't it?" the demon made no attempt to hide his amusement at the situation. "Broken and defenseless, just as your fellow Gems will soon be." He lifted his foot from the warrior's chest, as he began coughing up blood and gasping for air.

"It's a shame, really." The Gem Cutter bemoaned. "I was hoping you would present at least a little challenge after your grand entrance." The vile being stepped back for a moment, letting the young man catch his breath.

"Anything else you want to try, whelp?" He teased. Getting no response from the man, Zircon shrugged. "Oh, well then…" He said as he shrugged his shoulders. "since you don't seem to be able to provide any further amusement, I think its time to end this."

The demon approached the injured young man and walked between his struggling legs. Looking at the 'man from the future' , he shook his head in disapproval. "Well then, let's get this over with so I can get on with claiming my real prize."

Zircon bent down over the fallen warrior. Grabbing his shirt through the tattered remnants of his armor, he pulled the mysterious man close, staring face to face with his opponent.

"I'm not sure what you were thinking, fool. If you couldn't stop me in the future, then why come back here?" Zircon questioned.

The young man stared defiantly with his one good eye and made no effort to answer.

"The strong silent type, huh?" He chuckled. "It makes no matter. I've crushed fools like you many times before." He ran a clawed finger across some of the scars on the visitors face. "So I'm assuming I did that, huh? Or will do that?" He sneered. "I recognize my handiwork. So tell me, when I had you bound, who did I kill in front of you?"

The young man clenched and his eyes narrowed with hatred.

"You still have your other eye, so I'm guessing I ran out of your friends to kill, eh, boy?" Zircon showed his sharpened teeth in a twisted smile of fond remembrance. "Nothing is so delicious as crushing a fool's loved ones right in front of him. You watch them scream and beg for mercy, and they can't do a thing about it. And after you watch them broken and pleading, I take your eyes." He closed his eyes, as if remembering something blissful. "And their pained face, pleading, begging you to save them, is the last thing your eye ever sees."

The young man was shaking with rage, jaw clenched tightly.

"So many of you Gems are so smooth-faced and walk around with that regal attitude... It must really hurt your pride to have your perfect little face and body all scarred up like that."

In the corner of his eye, the stranger noticed the shattered garnet in his right hand begin to faintly pulse.

The young man's jaw unclenched, and a weak smile crossed his face. "I'm far from perfect you twisted fool." He managed with a pained breath. " And that's why you are going to die."

Zircon laughed. "A final insult before shuffling off this mortal coil, whelp? I think its time to end this… Sad, really. I expected more from you."

The stranger's smile widened. "And you shall have it."

Zircon noticed the stranger's glowing gemstones, and drew his dark blade, his mirth lost, as he realized the young man was planning something. Determined to put at end to this, he raised that wicked blade above his head and made ready to strike with his full power. But before the final strike could be made, he noticed a bright glow coming from under the young man's shirt.

Dropping the stranger to the ground with force, he ripped away the remnants of his breastplate and shirt, and gasped at what he saw.

"You…" The demon's wicked red eyes showed the first sign of fear.

"That's right, you monster!" The young man screamed. "I buried it within me for this very moment!"

The glow intensified as the young man's smile widened. A single tear of joy rolled down his cheek as he activated his gems for the last time.

***BREAK***

The Gems, battered and bruised, could only stare in wonder at the sight before them. The light was so bright that its reflection on the churning waves made the sea look as if it were about to catch fire, as if each droplet of water in the ocean contained a thousand supernovae exploding all at once. But despite the searing light, not one of them needed to squint. Pearl stared in puzzled awe at the power being displayed. There was something strangely familiar about that light. Her mouth dropped as she recalled the only other time she had witnessed such a thing. Turning to Garnet, her expression of awe and bewilderment told her that she too had realized what must be happening. Amethyst's grip tightened around Steven's still form. Images unconsciously projected from Pearl's gem as she whispered in amazement. "But that's…."

She was interrupted as the earth began rocking as if it would rip itself apart, and they all dove towards Amethyst to shield Steven from debris.

The air was becoming so charged with energy that every spot of bare skin began to tingle hotly as if they were being badly sunburned. Huddled together, sure that none of them would see the sun rise tomorrow, they braced themselves for the end.

Suddenly there was a massive rush of air, as if a vacuum the size of a skyscraper had suddenly been switched on.

Looking up as one, the gems saw the maelstrom of light suddenly shrink to a tiny pinpoint of light so concentrated and bright that to their eyes it looked black. Simultaneously , there was a barely perceivable shockwave emanating from the shrinking mass of light, like air wavering over hot sand.

And the world seemed to change as it spread outward.

The wave of energy washed over them, gentle and comforting, and as it washed over them, the sunlight seemed to undergo a redshift, bathing the world in a serene salmon pink glow. In it's passing, the world fell deathly silent. Not even the crashing waves could be heard. Though the sun was still high in the sky, all the colors of the world around them appeared as if at sunset on the calmest ocean.

Before the gems could marvel at the beauty of the scene, they noticed that the young man had grabbed Zircon and was holding him fast.

Garnet jumped to her feet and activated her gem weapons. They had all witnessed the injuries the young man had suffered. Garnet knew that it went against his wishes, but they had to help him.

"Pearl. Let's go."

Pearl shakily rose from the ground and drew a pair of swords, and prepared herself to do battle once more.

Amethyst gently sat Steven on the ground and began to stand, but Garnet placed a hand on her shoulder. "No." she said, remembering her promise. "You need to stay with Steven."

Nodding to Pearl, they charged forward, prepared to defend the stranger who had twice saved their lives.

But there charge was cut short as they slammed into an impenetrable wall. The force of the impact stunned them, and upon standing once again, they held their hands out and moved forward slowly, until they found the invisible obstacle.

"Pearl, there's no time, we have to help him. " She pointed to her left. "Search that way. I'll circle around to the right. We have to reach him before he's killed. There must be a way around this."

Nodding, Pearl began running along the wall, running her hand across its surface, staring intently, looking for any crack or way to pass through.

Garnet repeated the action, running the other way, intently searching the barrier with her eyes as she felt along its surface. So intent was she on finding a way through, she almost fell as she slammed into Pearl.

With a thud, Pearl fell backwards onto the sand as she looked at Garnet in confusion. Turning toward the wall, she could see that they were on the other side of the struggling combatants. Pearl punched the barrier in frustration.

"So he put a barrier around them?" she huffed in frustration. "Why would he do that? How are we supposed to help him, if he keeps them both inside a barrier!?"

Garnet lowered her fists as she stared at the horizon. She scanned left and right, and then lifted her eyes to the pink-hued sky. Her jaw dropped as she realized what was really going on.

"He didn't put a barrier around himself." Garnet stated. As Pearl glared at her questioningly, Garnet pointed towards the city and the horizon. Frustration became awed understanding as Pearl saw the pinkish barrier extended far beyond where even her acute vision could make out.

Garnet confirmed her thoughts "He put a barrier around everything but himself." Even the calm Garnet could not keep the awe from her voice. " He wasn't shielding himself. He was shielding the world FROM himself."

"But.. but..HOW?" Pearl stammered, trying to comprehend the amount of power it would take to make a barrier that big.

"Maybe you should ask WHY." Garnet replied, pointing to the young man's prone form, and to the object protruding from his chest, which seemed to be the source of the blinding light.

Pearl squinted to see through the brilliant light, and could just make out the beveled edges of an ornate ivory tube, carved like blossoming petals. "Garnet! Th..Thats.."

Her sunglasses having helped just enough to get a good look at the object before Pearl, Garnet confirmed the unspoken truth. "It is. It couldn't be anything else."

"But, HOW!" Pearl exclaimed, "I know it's still in the temple! We both passed right by it on our way out of the temple, not even an hour ago!"

Garnet stared at the young man struggling before her. "He's from the future, remember? We can't know what's led him to this." She looked down at the sealed letter in her hand.

Pearl clutched her chest as sympathetic pain coursed through her. "But how…" she choked. "How could he put that weapon in himself? The pain it must cause him…" sobbing, "It must be unbearable!"

"No!" Pearl screamed, shaking her head in disbelief. "Who is he?" She clenched her hands in frustration. "How does he know us!? How does he have the same gems as us!? How can he use your fists and my swords!?" she shouted in disbelief "None of this makes sense!" She pounded on the barrier.

"Who are you!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

Garnet placed a hand on Pearl's shoulder, and pointed towards the mysterious young man, as she nearly choked. Her shocked voice came out barely louder than a whisper.

"Look."

"What now?" Pearl groaned, her mental stamina beyond exhausted from the day's many unbelievable events. She stared where Garnet's finger pointed as Zircon lifted himself in attempt to break free from the stranger. Most of the young man's already damaged armor had fallen away, and as the whipping winds swirled the tattered remains of his shirt, Pearl could see the many scars and unhealed wounds covering his body like some macabre tapestry of pain.

But as she scanned over his body, suddenly her eyes grew wide in recognition. "No…It…Can't …" She slumped to her knees, suddenly drained of all strength.

Beneath the cracked helm, and bandaged head, the good eye that sparkled with a familiar warmth, past the gaping wound in his shoulder, below the hole in his chest that appeared to hold the gem's most potent weapon, the scarring continued. And down his abdomen riddled with battle wounds, amid the tattered scraps of shirt, which suddenly seemed so familiar as it flapped about in the wind, lay the most grievous wound of them all.

Five deep and jagged scars surrounded his stomach. In the center of those deep scars there was a concave area in his abdomen as though something the size of Pearl's fist has been ripped out of his body. Though obviously an old wound, it still appeared angry and red as though it never properly healed.

Tears washing down her face, Pearl leaned against the barrier, mouth agape in horror at what she had just seen. "How?" She wanted to ask, but the churning anguish in her guts overwhelmed her and she turned her head to the side as she retched.

"The weapon… "Pearl managed as she sucked in deep breaths. "That's why… " heaving again, she wiped her mouth "He… the barrier…." Her body spasmed as she spilled the contents of her stomach onto the sand, her body racked with uncontrollable convulsions. She collapsed to her side, as she curled up into a ball, sobbing.

"He planned this." She cried, rocking herself back and forth "He overcharged it. He's planning on…" She couldn't even finish the thought. She wailed in emotional agony as the ground began rumbling again, heralding the imminent end to this battle. Overcome with grief, Pearl closed her eyes and tried to block out the emotions that were tearing her heart apart.

A firm hand on her shoulder forced her back to reality, and she felt a reassuring squeeze.

Garnet extended her hand to Pearl. "Pearl. Stand up." Garnet's normally monotonous voice cracked with inner pain, and twin rivers flowed from behind her glasses.

Pearl looked at her, pleadingly, as if she hoped Garnet would tell her that this was not real, just a sick joke, or a dream. But Garnet's quivering lips, pressed together so tightly that the color had drained from them, let her know that there was nothing that could be said or done to change what was about to happen.

She pulled Pearl up onto her legs, weak with emotional anguish, and held tightly to her hand. Pearl turned her head to the side as she choked on her own tears.

"Don't." Garnet said softly, her voice faint and cracking. "Don't look away." She gripped Pearl's hand tightly. "We owe him the strength to bear witness to his courage." Her voice trailed off at the end as she struggled to speak the words.

Pearl embraced Garnet as she shook with uncontrollable sobs. Garnet put her arm around her, and stared straight ahead, trembling. "He's sacrificing himself to save us all…" Garnet managed, eliciting another loud cry from Pearl, who was trying to keep looking ahead through her tears.

"I'm so … proud of you…. " Garnet whispered at the young man, just as she could no longer hold back her own emotions. Pearl squeezed her tightly, as they looked on in agony.

Zircon began to struggle madly against the stranger's grip, but his hold was firm. Even through the barrier, the two gems could hear the panicked screams of The Gem Cutter as he tried to resist.

But then a strange thing happened. The young man smiled. He seemed to be saying something, but Garnet and Pearl could not hear it through the barrier.

Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light and the ground bucked and rolled, knocking the Gems off of their feet. They clutched each other tightly as they fell, and the brilliant light washed over them with a deafening roar.

Pearl screamed over the cacophony as they fell to the sand.

"WE LOVE YOU, STEVEN!"

***BREAK***

Zircon struggled against the restraining grasp of the battered young man, unable to comprehend where such strength could come from. The smirk on his face was driving the Gem Cutter mad with fury. Howling his frustrations he continued to pull against the unbreakable grip.

The young man chuckled softly.

"You seek perfection by inflicting pain and misery, demon, and that is the very reason you will never attain it!" Tightening his grip on Zircon's arms, the man from the future pulled the demon down on top of himself. Zircon struggled to free himself, but no amount of strength could break the man's iron grip.

"This world will never be perfect. And neither shall anyone living upon it." He said to the demon. And that is the very reason that this world IS PERFECT!" He yelled at the monster that had taken everything from him.

"I want to share the words of a wise and loving man with you, demon. And may they be the last you ever hear!"

Sand began whipping around them, drawn into the swirling mass of light. What began as a whine became a deafening hum as the mass of energy reached it critical mass.

The traveler felt peace wash over him, and the pain endured for so many years seemed to melt away. He felt at peace. Remembering the words, he smiled.

Staring right into Zircon's eyes, the young man muttered his final words.

This is for my friends and family, he thought, as the words left his lips in a whisper.

"If every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn't have hot dogs…."

Zircon screamed in futile defiance.

The intense light blinded the young man as a single tear rolled down his cheek.

He stared beyond his barrier, toward where he thought he had last seen the Gems.

"I love you too, my friends…" he thought as he smiled. "Goodbye."

There was an impossibly loud cracking sound, as if the earth itself had broken in two.

And then the world was bathed in cleansing light.

***BREAK***

The roaring began to subside, and the light faded away until only the sun's warm rays remained.

The sound of seagulls and the pounding surf filled Garnet's ears. Bent over in the sand, her hands interlocked behind her head to shield herself from the blast, she dared to open her eyes.

She slowly rose to her feet, and looked around.

The sun was shining brightly and birds flew against the deep blue canopy of the sky. Such a beautiful day, Garnet thought. She noticed Pearl standing a short distance from her.

Garnet walked over to her, and gasped as she noticed the massive crater that she stood on the lip of. She choked back a sob.

Steven. You did it. She thought as her tears returned. You gave us all a future free of that darkness.

She moved closer to Pearl, and they both stood in stunned silence for a moment.

"He…." Pearl began, but choked on her words. So many emotions ran through her. Pride, Sorrow, Love, Elation, Relief, Regret. She held onto Garnet's hand and they both said a silent prayer for an extraordinary friend who had given his all so that they could be standing here now.

Across the massive crater, Amethyst was waving at them. She had young Steven resting on her back, his head resting on her shoulder.

"I can't even begin to understand all of this, Garnet. How could our little Steven do all of this?"

Garnet's face beamed with pride. "Because he isn't our 'little' Steven, Pearl" Garnet choked. "He's a member of the Crystal Gems. And he carried out his duty to safeguard this world better than I think any of us could have done."

Amethyst adjusted Steven's weight, and began slowly walking around the crater to join her friends.

"Well, I guess I have to stop babying him so much." Pearl said as she smiled in spite of her tears.

Garnet stared at the letter in her hand.

Pearl looked over at her and nodded.

Together, they broke the seals, and prepared to read that brave young man's final words to them.

Pearl opened the letter, and began reading.

***BREAK***

" To my dear friend and teacher, Pearl.

I don't have much time to write this, because I've already connected mom's light cannon to my heart.

There is so much I want to say to you all, and I know that I will have very little opportunity to do so, even if by some miracle my interference stops Zircon without needing to activate the cannon.

I am living on borrowed time now, but I have no regrets.

I actually died 'that' day.

When the power in these gems sustaining me is depleted, my end will be only a formality.

Pearl, I watched you fight valiantly. Even after the loss of your friend, and Garnet being disabled, you protected me. As much as it pained me to watch you fight alone, as helpless as it made me feel, I have always drawn inspiration from the grace and determination you showed me that day. It was the memory of your willingness to sacrifice yourself so that Garnet could seal that demon away that gave me the strength to bear the pain of joining the cannon to my body. If the world were a fair place, we would have the time to catch up, and maybe even spar a little. I'm sure that while I've gained proficiency using your swords, I will never come close to your level of skill.

I also want to thank you for always looking out for me. I know I can be a handful, and I cause you no end of worry. I never listen to your lessons, and I tune you out so often, when you are trying to teach me about my heritage, and about the history of the gems. If everything works out, I suppose I will still be driving you nuts for years to come… well, the younger me will. Hindsight is always 20/20, and these last years spent searching for lost Gem knowledge have taught me just how invaluable your counsel could have been. I offer my heartfelt apologies for being a poor student, and I hope that in the new future I'm striving to create, that I will give you the respect you deserve. You have been a true friend to me, and I have many regrets about the way I treated you.

No matter what happens, I look forward to seeing you once more. I hope that I do justice to the lessons you worked so hard to teach me, and that I had to learn on my own, without your wise tutelage.

I love you, my friend.

Farewell,

-Steven."

***BREAK***

Clutching the letter to her chest, Pearl softly spoke a silent thank you to Steven through a river of tears.

Garnet's hands trembled as she read the words Steven had left for her.

***BREAK***

"To my last companion in this wretched world, and the best mentor and friend a person could ever wish for.

Garnet, there is so much to say, but sadly, I don't have the time for even a fraction of it.

I want to apologize for disobeying your final wishes. I know you wanted to make sure I was safe. You made me promise to never even think about joining the cannon to myself, or using the time room. And the fact that you are reading this means that I have done both.

Again, I am sorry. You have been a great teacher, a loving companion, a wise mentor, and a true friend. You not only saved my life on that horrible day, but you gave me a reason to live that life.

Even after Amethyst gave her life for me, and you lost your arm, and even after my gem was ripped from me and Pearl was lost, you summoned the strength to seal that abomination.

I know I was no help to you at all. You held me, and tried to comfort me, even with your grievous injury, you cradled me with your one arm, and tried to calm me. I could feel myself dying, and after losing my friends, and knowing that it was all my fault, I didn't care. But you wouldn't let me.

I know it must have been hard to remove the gem from your severed arm, and I cannot fathom the strength that it must have taken to take the gem from the body of your best friend. And still you managed, and even soothed my guilt with kind words in the wreckage of such horror. You convinced me in that, my lowest point, to accept the gems and to live in the hopes of undoing all the hurt that my mistake had wrought upon this world.

And after all the searching for a way to fix this, to rid the world of that menace once and for all, our worst fears came true. We never found out how he escaped his prison for the second time, but we didn't have the time. He obliterated BeachCity first, and then blazed destruction across the globe, all in search of us. Throughout it all, you made sure that I was safe. You never let me give into despair, even when Dad was taken from me.

Running from place to place, always in fear for our lives, searching dangerous ruins for tech and scavenging supplies from the rubble of cities he had laid waste to, was a terrible way for a kid to grow up.

But you did a great job, Garnet. Despite the terrible circumstances, your friendship saw me through those dark days. You were always there for me, no matter what I needed. (Even when things got a little weird and awkward that one night.)

When Zircon finally found us, I had to watch as the last person I loved was hurt, right in front of me. The horrible things he did to you, all the pain and suffering he caused you, made me wish I could die. He offered your freedom in exchange for your service, and despite the awful pain you must have been in, you never broke. The only time I saw your resolve waiver was when he offered to let me go. We both knew that it was a lie, but your instincts to protect me never failed, even in the end.

The saddest moment of my life was watching you die. He took my eye after that, and tortured me for hours, but the pain was numbed. Losing you was worse than anything he could have done to me at that point. I think he figured that out as well, because he eventually stopped. He told me that a worse torture was to live on the wrecked surface of the world I loved, alone, with the knowledge that I was responsible for it all.

In that, he was absolutely right.

I don't know how long it took me to break free of my despair. Days? Weeks?

I was ready to die. I wanted to. I just wanted everything to be over. I was hungry, tired, and so very alone. I lay down on the ground next to your grave, and waited for it all to end. It was so cold. But as I lay there, I felt warmth in my left hand. I opened it, and saw that the garnet you had implanted in me all those years ago was glowing. I don't know if you were somehow doing it, or if it's just something that happens as a Gem dies.

Whatever the reason, it reminded me of your strength. You would have never given up like that.

I knew what I had to do.

I apologized to you for what I was about to do. I know I promised not to do it, but there was no life for me left here, and that monster had to be stopped, no matter the cost.

Besides, Garnet, we both know you would have done the same, probably a lot sooner, and maybe in time to prevent a lot of this from happening if you hadn't been devoting so much time to protecting me.

Well, I guess that's about it.

I have treasured your friendship these last years, and I know you will be watching over me.

I hope I make you proud.

Goodbye, my dear friend.

- Steven"

***BREAK***

Garnet shook uncontrollably. He had suffered so much. He had been through more than any one person should ever have to. And still, he had managed to smile. She knew that the smile she saw on that pain scarred face would stay with her for the rest of her days.

Amethyst reached them, breathless, and lay Steven gently down between the two Gems. Looking at the tear stained faces of her friends, she quickly assured them "Guys! Don't worry! He's breathing." She smiled a toothy grin "I think the little goof was snoring on the way over here!"

Though a relief, that knowledge did little to soothe the raw emotions of Garnet and Pearl. When she saw that they still seemed upset, her smile faded.

"What's wrong, guys?" she asked, confused.

Looking around, she turned back to her friends. "Hey, where's the armor guy?" She waited for an answer, but the silence she received confirmed the sinking feeling in her stomach.

She turned to the crater and stared at the depths, where she could make out the outline of a body at its bottom, half obscured by the still settling dust.

"Oh." She said as the reality of the situation stole away her smile. Her eyes lowered, and her eyes welled up. "But he seemed like such a nice guy…" she sobbed.

Garnet offered the short Gem comfort and they held each other as they mourned.

Suddenly Pearl yelled.

"Garnet! He's moving!"

Pearl jumped over the lip of the crater and began sliding towards the fallen man.

Garnet looked to Steven, and Amethyst nodded her understanding. "It's ok, Garnet, you go, I will stay with him."

Squeezing Amethyst's shoulder in silent thanks, Garnet leaped into the crater after Pearl.

Sliding to a stop, Pearl could see that he was in really bad shape. There was a gaping hole in the young man's chest where the cannon had once been. His body was twisted and his clothing was ripped to shreds. His scarred muscles trembled and clenched involuntarily. He weakly turned his head as Pearl approached.

He opened his mouth to try and speak, but only an unintelligible whisper came out. His eye seemed to be looking all around, not focusing on anything.

Pearl dropped to her knees beside the broken man. She choked back her uncontrollable sadness, and took his hand into hers.

"Oh, Steven…" She sobbed.

She felt a gentle squeeze on her hand as his trembling head tried to stay focused on her. It was more than she could take, and she broke down.

Lying there in unimaginable pain, dying, he was still trying to comfort her. Garnet walked over and took his other hand in hers.

He turned his head to face her, and forced his face into a smile. Garnet's heart broke in that moment, and she wailed. "No…" she cried. " … Steven…"

The young man struggled to maintain that smile.

"We read your letters, Steven." Pearl managed. " We are so very proud of you."

"Yes, you have made us all proud, Steven…" Garnet spoke between sobs.

Steven struggled to speak, as he squeezed the Gem's hands in spastic bursts.

"Ahhhh….Mmmeee" he managed before being wracked by coughs. He smacked his mouth as his lips stuck together.

"Amethyst!" Pearl screamed. "We need water!"

Amethyst threw her hands up in a gesture of panicked frustration. She disappeared over the lip of the crater. A moment later, she reappeared and tossed a bottle down.

"Steven had half a soda in his pack!" she called down to them.

Unscrewing the lid, Pearl tilted the bottle up to the young man's mouth, and let the bubbling liquid wash over his cracked, bleeding lips. He sputtered and coughed, but managed to swallow a few gulps.

"Thank…you…" Steven managed, his body still trembling.

Garnet tightened her grip on his hand. "My friend, is there anything we can do?" she spoke through her anguish.

Steven turned back to her. And managed to speak. "Ame..thyst…"

Biting her trembling lower lip, Garnet nodded. She stood.

"Amethyst!" She called out. "Get down here, please!"

The worried Gem looked past the crater's rim and then back "But Steven!"

"It's fine!" Garnet answered back, "Just hurry!"

As Amethyst began making her way down the treacherous crater wall, Garnet knelt back down to Steven's side.

She met his eye, and warned. "I don't think she knows who you are." Garnet explained "We haven't had a chance to give her this." She held up the letter addressed to Amethyst.

Swallowing hard, the young man nodded his understanding. Garnet stood back up, and walked over to Pearl.

As Amethyst made it to the bottom of the crater, she gasped and placed her hand over her mouth when she saw the shape the young warrior was in. Tears flowed once more.

Garnet spoke softly to her. " He wants to speak to you." She said.

Amethyst looked at her, eyes widening, unsure how to handle the situation.

"Just be there for him." Garnet explained. "He doesn't have long."

Still fighting her emotions, Amethyst knelt down next to the wounded man.

Garnet placed her hand on Pearl's shoulder and met her eyes. "Let's give them a minute."

Pearl looked as if she would protest, but Garnet shook her head, and Pearl squeezed Steven's hand once more, and he turned to her. She smiled and stood, letting his hand slip from hers.

The look in his eye seemed to be a silent 'thank you for understanding'. Pearl nodded and walked a short distance away to join Garnet.

Amethyst, hands trembling, took his hand into hers. She had no idea what to say. Never in her life had anything as sad as this happened to her. Her heart was breaking. She felt that this young man in front of her was so familiar to her. The kindness in his eye tugged at her, and she struggled not to run away sobbing.

"Does it hurt very much?" she sobbed. Such a stupid question, she thought, cursing herself.

The young man spread his fingers and entwined them with hers, and squeezed. He cracked a smile at her. "Not…so much….. now." He said softly to her.

She trembled as she rocked herself back and forth trying to comfort herself.

She couldn't break her eyes away from his. The way he looked at her. She couldn't understand what he was trying to convey to her, but it was somehow comforting.

"Please…" he spoke. "Can.. I ask… a … favor?"

Amethyst nodded her head, blinking back the tears.

She was startled as the young warrior groaned and gripped her hand tightly

"ahh…." He managed. His body began to tremble. Closing her eyes in pain, Amethyst started saying her goodbyes to this strange young man who tugged at her heart so.

"Oh my!" Pearl exclaimed in pure wonder.

She felt the young man's hand warm and her hand began tingling. She opened her eyes and blinked away the tears to see a wondrous vision.

A bright pink glow could be seen near the rim of the crater. And clearly visible in the dimming light of sunset, a stream of sparkling pink energy was snaking down the crater wall, and enveloping the young man in a bright, warm glow. The wounds on his body began to disappear before her eyes. His eye was closed, and he grew very still. The rosy glow faded from up above.

The pink energy remained around the young man, and flashed white as a golden, sparkling glow seemed to radiate outward from his body. The long scar across his face faded away, and the crude eye patch seemed to turn to dust, as it rose into the air and became a part of the bright sparkling pinpoints of light surrounding him.

She watched in wonder as the sparkling light rose up and swirled around her.

"Amethyst."

She heard her name spoken, and quickly looked back down.

The young man was smiling and looking up at her lovingly with both eyes.

Amethyst began trembling and tears flowed down her already wet cheeks.

"Please don't cry" the young man spoke gently. "Where is that beautiful smile I have missed so much?"

She shook her head in disbelief, unable to understand what was going on.

The young man rose to a sitting position. As he did, the warm golden glow surrounding him enveloped Amethyst as well, and she felt instantly comforted.

It was warm and pleasant, like being wrapped in a soft blanked on a cold winter night. Her trembling stopped and she looked up to meet his loving gaze. She couldn't even begin to think what she should say in this moment.

The young man smiled warmly and reached for her other hand, entwining his fingers with hers.

"Amethyst, I only have a few more moments here, so I must apologize for this." He looked deep into her eyes. He leaned in close and tilted his head. "For ten long years I have dreamed of this moment." He whispered as his lips met hers.

Amethyst was shocked by his move. But it felt so nice. It felt right. She closed her eyes and kissed him back. She wrapped her arms around him, his skin even more warm than the golden glow surrounding him.

She had never felt so safe. So happy. So complete.

And just as she began to wish that this moment would last forever, He pulled back their kiss, and rested his forehead on hers.

Eye to eye, they held each other until at last he looked down. He moved his arm between them, and as he looked, he sighed.

"Just my luck." He said

Amethyst reached out for his hand, to pull him close again. But her hand passed right through his. Tears reappeared in her eyes, which had only moments ago dried.

"No…" She moaned.

He stood up, pulling her to her feet with his other arm.

Her eyes dropped. She couldn't bear to look at him. She didn't even know his name, but she knew that he had already owned her heart before the first time she had laid eyes on him.

He gently placed his hands on her chin and pulled her face back up to meet his. He stared deep into her beautiful eyes, shining so brightly with tears.

"There just isn't enough time to properly tell you just how very dear to me you are, Amethyst."

His eyes closed in regret. "I'm sorry to put you through this pain. All I ever wanted to do is make you smile." He sighed. "Such a beautiful smile."

Amethyst mustered up the strength to smile back at him, even though her heart was breaking.

"There it is!" he smiled warmly. "That just made all of this worth it. "

She sobbed, and moaned in heartfelt pain.

"I'm sorry, my heart, but I fear my time here is ending."

He reached into his waistband and pulled out something.

"Now its my turn to give you something." He pressed the object into Amethyst's hand, and squeezed it tightly. He cupped her head in his fading hands, and whispered softly as he stared into her eyes.

"I love you." And with those words, he pressed his lips to her a final time.

Amethyst wrapped her arms around him tightly, refusing to let go. She savored the contact as tears flowed from eyes squeezed tightly shut. She felt the warm glow receding, and her arms seemed to fall through the air. As she opened her eyes, the warm pressure on her lips left her.

She stared at the young man, now transparent, and fading.

"Please!" She sobbed. "Don't leave…."

The look in his eyes said 'I'm so sorry', as he silently mouthed "I love you." and put his hand over his heart. And with that the glow faded away, the young man lost with it.

The bright points of light began swirling in the air. They circled her, like they were dancing around her. And then they slowly ascended skyward, until they disappeared in the rainbow hues of the setting sun.

Wrapping her arms around herself, Amethyst collapsed to the ground sobbing. Her heart had never experienced a pain like this. She wished that she could die this very moment and chase after him.

Garnet knelt beside the grieving Gem, and handed her a letter.

Amethyst looked at her questioningly.

"It's from St…" Garnet caught herself, "It's from him."

Amethyst accepted the letter with trembling hands.

She opened her clenched fist, revealing the object the warrior had given her before he passed.

Her ever widening eyes beheld the object with the shock of recognition.

It was an amethyst, and she knew this particular stone. The edges had all been worn down to a smooth finish, and there was a crack in its center, but she knew that there was no mistaking this gem.

Shaking her head, not comprehending this turn of events, Garnet spoke to her once again.

"Read it." She said softly. "Now…Please."

Still crying, she opened the letter and tried to focus her burning eyes on the words.

***BREAK***

"Amethyst.

There are so very many things I want to say to you, and even though there isn't much time, I know that if I had written a thousand pages a day, every day of my life, it still would not be enough.

More than anyone, I have missed you the most. Your smile would have been enough to see me through even the darkest day of these past 10 years. When Garnet implanted the gems into my hands to sustain my life, I had felt only emptiness.

I knew that I could never have that part of you as a part of me. These last years have been nothing but pain. But they were nothing compared to the pain of that moment.

You threw yourself in front of me without hesitation. You faced that monster alone. When his blade pierced you, it may as well have gone through my heart instead. Because I died in that moment.

Even ran through and mortally wounded, you still protected me. You grabbed me, and threw me with all your remaining strength, right to Garnet.

I watched you as I flew. You never broke your eyes away from mine. I remember the look on your face with perfect clarity. I see it every time I close my eyes.

You were crying, but also smiling. There were two tear trails down your left cheek, and one on the right, that split into three as it ran across a clump of wet sand stuck to your face. There was a droplet collecting at the bottom of your chin, and one more that was already falling to the ground. It was only a few inches from the blade that had pierced the center of your gem.

Your lips were parted in a genuine smile, the one that you only ever give me. Your eyes were not sad, they showed only contentment, because you had saved me from that monster, and another emotion that I still am unsure of, because I only recall seeing it once before on the roof of our house 12 long years ago.

And then that monster raised his horrible hand, and in a blaze of white hot fire, I lost my best friend. You had given your life to save me. And I have been incomplete every day since.

I have kept that gem you gave me that night always close. It is all I have to remember you by. It's the same color as your beautiful eyes. Whenever I feel like I can't go on, I squeeze that stone. It quit glowing long ago. It was cracked when Zircon destroyed our home.

It is my most precious possession. I don't know what happens when we die, but I like to think that when I held it tightly, you could somehow hear me. I have had so many conversations with you. I never heard your voice, but talking to you and holding that gem somehow eased my pain.

Amethyst, I could spend days recounting all the wonderful memories of the time we spent together. But sadly I don't have the luxury of that time. So I want to speak to you of what I have learned in your absence.

I know that to you I am just a child. In my mind that is what I am as well. But it will not always be the case. I have struggled to understand just how I feel about many things, but one that I never needed to question was my feelings for you.

You are my best friend, my truest companion. My life is incomplete without you in it. I don't know when exactly it happened, but even back then I knew, that you are a part of my heart. I might be too young to understand what that means, but I felt it even then.

I have grown up in a very different world that the one you and I share. I have not known laughter or joy for so very long. So many nights I have sobbed myself to sleep, wishing only to see you again. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but in truth, I think it has only confirmed what I have known for some time now.

I love you, Amethyst. I always have. I still do. And I miss you so much that it hurts. I know that I am about to take a one way trip that sadly will not leave me with the time to speak my heart to you.

But its ok.

If I am successful, all this pain and suffering I've been through will never happen. All the loneliness and sorrow will disappear. The man I have become will cease to be, because my ultimate goal is to make sure that this Steven never exists, that he never needs to.

My only regret is the loss of what I have learned.

Garnet never showed me exactly how to operate this time portal, because it was to be her mission. I have learned enough from her manuals to get it working, but I only have a short window of time once it is activated, so I have to make absolutely sure that I arrive at the right time.

I must transport to a nearby gem, as that is what the machine searches for. Garnet said it was some kind of security feature built in to make sure it was never misused. That way, whoever used it would always arrive in proximity to Gems, who could stop the user if their intent was not pure.

The machine is searching now, so I don't have much longer to write this.

I know this all must be strange to you, and I'm sorry for laying all of this on you, especially under these circumstances, but when I leave this world, I want to do it with a clear conscious and an unburdened heart.

All I want to do is hold you tight, protect you from any harm. My deepest desire is only to look deeply into your bright eyes and kiss your lavender lips.

I know I can never have these things, but I cannot change my heart.

Amethyst, forgive me for putting you in this awkward position, living with a child who harbors these feelings, which should never have been known by you until he himself was old enough to understand them and choose to speak them to you.

If you could do just one favor for me, I would ask that you never doubt that you are gorgeous. And even if the whole world were blind to that fact, please know that you are the example of beauty by which I judge all others. It would be impossible for anyone to be prettier than you in my – his eyes.

I love you so much Amethyst. I know I keep saying the same things over and over. It is so hard for me to speak my heart, because I have never had the opportunity or reason to do this before. Forgive my rambling and awkward words, it is just to hard to concentrate. I am scared I will sound silly, or make you uncomfortable. My hands are so sweaty and my stomach is knotted up. I have thought of what I would say to you so many times, but now I cant seem to find the right words.

Please just know how dear you are to me. There is a-

I have to stop here. The machine has just locked onto your gem's signature.

There was so much more I wanted to say, but I have faith that one day, the man I will grow into can properly speak his heart to you with all the grace and poetry it deserves.

I cannot wait to see you again.

I just hope to be able to see your smiling face once more before the end.

And this time, dear Amethyst, I have the easier job.

I get to die for you, instead.

It's time.

I love you, Amethyst.

Farewell, my heart.

- Steven, your eternal goofball."

***BREAK***

Shaking violently, Amethyst dropped the letter and wailed.

Pearl and Garnet reached out to her and embraced her. They held each other tight and rocked each other back and forth, as their tears flowed. Their embraced continued as they all worked through this whole mess.

The night was fully upon them as their tears had finally ran their course. Their hearts were still heavy, but none more so than Amethyst's.

They sat in silence, no wishing to be the first to speak. Where to even begin?

The silence of the night was finally broken.

"Hey! Guys?!" a familiar voice called from above the lip of the crater.

Fear filled his voice. "Garnet! Pearl!" he called out. "Amethyst!"

Her cracking voice finding new strength, Garnet called out. "Steven! Down here!"

A round chubby face appeared at the rim of the crater, and a relieved smile washed over his face. "Guys!" he yelled out, as he jumped over the lip.

"Steven! Be careful!" Pearl scolded, but it was too late.

Steven lost his footing and slipped "WAAaaaaa-aaaaaaAAAAAHHH!" He yelled as he tumbled down the steep walls of the crater. He came crashing to a halt as he slammed into Amethyst, knocking her over and they both ended up in a heap.

Embarrassed, Steven quickly untangled himself and stood, hands on his hips, like a conquering hero. "HA!" he exclaimed loudly "I meant to do that!"

Despite all that had just transpired, the Gems couldn't help but burst into laughter and the blustering young man.

"Hey!" Steven protested. "Why are you laughing at me?!"

His tone turned serious for a moment, as the laughter continued.

"Serious." He explained. "I was really worried about you guys."

They stopped laughing and just looked at the innocent little kid before them.

Steven was starting to feel comfortable with they way they were looking at him.

"Why are you guys looking at me like that?" he asked, confused. "What's going on?"

One by one the Gems surrounded Steven and hugged him tightly.

"Okay, Okay!" Steven pleaded. "Stop it! You guys are scaring me!"

Garnet tousled his hair, and Pearl hugged him once more, despite his flailing arms and vocal protest.

As they moved back from him, Amethyst stood in front of him, staring at him.

"Umm… Amethyst?" Steven asked nervously. "Is something wrong?"

"No." She said flatly as she grabbed Steven and gave him a light kiss on the lips.

Steven blushed and stammered, before regaining his boyish composure and demanding "Whoah, whoah! Why did you do that?!"

Amethyst just smiled and grabbed Steven in another hug.

Squeezing her best friend tightly, she whispered.

"Just returning the favor."

**END**


	2. Author's Note- For Whom This Was Written

Author's Note:

First I want to thank everyone for reading my first attempt at writing 'fan fiction'.

I have never written anything using characters or materials that were not my own original creations. It has been a unique experience.

Since the Gems and Steven as well as the scenery and locations have been well represented by the show, it allowed me to focus more on character emotions, dialogue and action, rather than being bogged down in descriptions of the Gem headquarters, the beach, or character appearance.

To me it is important to create a full picture in the mind of the reader, so that if they closed their eyes, they could 'play' the story in their mind like a movie. (that is how I write it, at least) Having the visual aspect of the story already taken care of by the cartoon, greatly helped me.

This entire story was conceived and written in a 4 day span, starting late that night on Thursday, January 23rd, 2014, and was completed early Sunday morning, on the 26th.

I was surprised at how quickly I was able to bring it all together, and even more surprised at how deeply the story tugged at me to bring it to its conclusion. After receiving a few reviews from the small amount of narrative I had posted on that first day, I was encouraged by the positive reviews. I determined at that point that I would finish this project before moving on to anything else.

I received an encouraging email from one reader, and I think that any of you who have written before can understand that hearing "God, how I hate you! What am I supposed to do while you finish this?!" is the highest form of praise a writer can get.

After reading that email (and thanks to the sender for his(?) very short, very curse-filled encouragement.) I really wanted to try and at least double the amount of the story I had previously posted. I sat down that Saturday afternoon, with the intent of spending a few hours of my time, and posting a few pages more for the readers who were giving me so much encouragement. I knew that it would take at least a week or more to truly complete the story as I imagined it.

That was my intent, at any rate.

But soon I just lost myself in the story. I finished the end first, then cursed myself for spending so much time on that, which I would never be able to post without the conjoining narrative to link it all together. So I went back to my notes in the middle of the story, and began expanding on them. Before long, I was pecking away at the keyboard and once again lost in the tale. I had my custom music playlist running on shuffle and loop, and soon, the world around me just ceased to exist as I wrote.

The very next thing I noticed was the sound of birdsong. I glanced out the window and saw the morning sun, and I just sat there, slowly realizing just how long I had been sitting there, without moving or taking a break.

There has never been a project that has 'forced' me to write for a straight 18 hours without break before, but I barely noticed the time as it passed. As I finished the last few lines, and tidied up the document, removing notations and spellchecking for the last time, I expected to feel pride at completing another project, but instead I just felt sad that it was over.

I sort of wrote myself into a corner with this one, as I don't really have anywhere else to take the narrative. I'm not even sure that I should add anything else. I have loved Rebecca Sugar's work on Adventure Time, and I am thoroughly enjoying Steven Universe, even though there have only been a few episodes, and the show is still finding its rhythm.

Before taking on this project, I had only seen a few minutes of a couple of Steven Universe episodes. I had no intention of writing anything for fanfiction, indeed I didn't even know the site existed.

However, my neighbor's little girl, was going to change all of that.

She often dropped by after school, as she waited on her parents to get home from work. She and I both enjoy watching Adventure Time, and while waiting on new episodes, I introduced her to a show I loved when I was younger, Dragonball Z.

It's not easy to entertain a young kid, especially when you are trying to work, and as a writer, you need to keep the interruptions to a minimum. So having her watch some TV accomplished that very well, while simultaneously keeping her from feeling ignored.

One day I got quite the talking to, when her father dropped by, questioning why she had been crying. He said she was distraught. I'll be honest, I had been working, and I didn't even know she had went home at the time, so I felt blindsided.

It turns out that she had made it to the end of the 'Cell Saga' in the anime, which contains some very emotional and sad moments, involving the main character, Goku and his son Gohan.

Just about everyone has seen DBZ, and knows what I am talking about, but for the few who haven't, I won't spoil anything here. Suffice it to say that at one point a very proud father sacrifices himself in an attempt to save his loved ones, and despite that, his son must confront the very monster who had just taken away his father. And in a true to form tear-jerker moment, the father's spirit assists his son in ending the threat to the world.

After explaining all this, and with much encouragement from his young daughter, my neighbor began joining us for DBZ when he got home from work, on occasion borrowing the old VHS tapes and a spare VCR so that he and his daughter could watch them together at home.

As Adventure Time continued to develop season after season, she became enamored with the show, drawing pictures, writing little stories, and all those things that kids do when they spend a lot of time daydreaming of being heroes and princesses. It is that precious product of a child's innocence, before the world crushes those dreams and forces them to grow up.

With her father's permission, I bought a couple of NERF swords, and began teaching her to fence. That was something that she loved to do, and I'm sure that it was helping me with some much needed exercise as well.

One day, a couple of months ago, she started going on about this new cartoon that she really liked called Steven Universe. She wanted me to watch it with her after Adventure Time, and of course I agreed, but I must be honest, I had no intention of watching it, as I was working and needed to finish the project I was working on. I nodded and agreed that it was great when she asked me what I thought, but all I really saw of it was some purple girl being chucked at the sun and bouncing off again and again. It seemed silly to me, and I kept working.

A few weeks passed, and she started talking about Steven Universe more than Adventure Time, to the point that she ended up watching DVR reruns of the show instead of the new Adventure Time episodes that last time.

The next Monday, I had finished my last project, and hadn't received another yet, so I figured we could sit together and I would give the show another chance. I made the homemade chicken nuggets she liked so much, checked the DVR and then sat down to take a nap while I waited.

I woke up at a little past 4pm, and I started getting a little worried. Normally there would have been a knock at the door, a long time before now, and so I packed up the nuggets, and walked over to her house.

Sometimes her parents got home early, and I didn't need to watch her, but usually they would call, or she would stop by and let me know.

I started to get worried when I noticed both cars gone, and no one came to the door. I tried calling both her parents, but got only the "at work now, please leave a message' voice mail.

I went down the street to the bus stop, thinking that maybe they were late, so I sat and waited. It wasn't long before I saw a couple of the other neighborhood kids out playing, and I asked them if the bus had already came. They told me that it had, and it turned out that they were classmates of hers. (I keep refraining from giving her name, because her family enjoys their privacy and her mother doesn't like her being on the internet.) They told me that she was not in school that day, and that they hadn't seen her.

I was a bit worried when I heard that, but I knew her mom drove her to school, so if she hadn't went to school, then she must at least be with them.

I went back home, satisfied that she was fine, and watched some TV for a bit before heading to bed.

At a bit after 2am the phone rang.

It was her father, and he was really upset.

Turns out that on the way to school that morning, her mother had been struck by another vehicle, and the car was knocked into oncoming traffic. They were hit by a large flatbed truck, and the car was flipped many times.

Both her and her mother were in the intensive care unit. Her mom had a broken back and several other fractures, but was expected to make a full recovery.

My little friend didn't fare so well. She was on life support. They had to open her skull to relieve pressure on her brain, which was banged up really badly in the wreck. She broke 4 ribs, her right arm, collarbone, and she had 7 breaks in her left leg where the dashboard had caved in from the initial impact.

I think that the worst part was that she had to have her leg amputated below the knee.

I got to the hospital as soon as I could. Her father was a wreck. I couldn't really blame him. I don't have kids of my own, and even though I'm 'her' friend, I'm sure many of you know what its like. Adults and kids are never really 'true' friends. With that big gap in age, you simply don't have the same views of the world. Not to mention that, as an adult, you must watch your words and actions around children in a way you would never have to do when with people your own age. In truth, even though she made me smile a lot, (she would have killed on "kids say the darndest things"), I was just a glorified babysitter, often just finding activities to keep her busy so that I could work.

But when I saw her lying in that bed, with tubes going everywhere, her head all bandaged up, and a machine having to breath for her, I died inside.

I don't think I realized just how much that little kid meant to me. She read my stories, she was a good fencing student, serious beyond her age. She laughed and smiled, and made me do the same. She was as quiet and respectful as a young child could be when I needed to work, and she never complained when I didn't have time to play a game or watch a show with her. I can't say that I thought of her as a daughter, because you can never know that feeling until having kids of your own, but I damn sure felt like she was my family.

She stayed in a medically induced coma for 2 weeks. She had to go through several surgeries to replace the part of her skull they had removed and she had to have a number of screws and bolts to hold all her broken bits together.

She was really upset when she found out that she had lost her leg. I don't know how many depressed children you have seen, but its like watching all the life being sucked out of them. Normally so energetic and happy, full of life, she just sat there, quiet, staring where her leg used to be. That broke my heart.

I tried to sit with her as much as I could, at least when her dad had to work, but I couldn't be there all the time.

I went to visit her a couple of week ago. I had picked up one of those Finn hats for her, because she was upset about losing her hair. (they had to shave her head when they opened her skull) I was hoping it would cheer her up a bit.

We sat and talked for a bit, and I watched a few episodes of Adventure Time with her on my kindle, and even though she didn't really smile, she watched her favorite shows with attentive eyes. That's when I started feeling like she was going to be okay. We talked for a bit, and she asked if I had written any stories lately. I had to tell her no, that I hadn't, just some reviews and articles, which I knew she would be bored by.

That's when she asked me "Do you think you could write a story about Steven?"

I cringed. I wasn't really into fan fiction, and even though I knew I couldn't say no, I was hoping she would let me change her mind.

Unfortunately, she made it clear that there was no way to make her waiver on this. Not only was she just "dying" for me to make a story for her, she already had a few ideas about it.

I was stuck then.

I promised her that I would try, but I told her that it would take me some time to learn more about the show, hoping that in time she would just forget about it.

But she had other plans. That Monday, when I stopped by for a quick visit, she informed me that she had put all the episodes of Steven Universe on her tablet, and that she had done so to help me with my 'research' so that I could write the story.

We watched all of them, back to back, and later that night, the "Tiger Millionaire" episode. I had to admit, it wasn't a bad show, and it grew on me more and more as we watched. I tried telling her that there were not really enough episodes for me to write something, that I might have to wait for a few more to get the right 'feel' for the show and the characters.

But again, she let me know that was not an option. She wanted a Steven story, NOW!

I asked her if she wanted a funny, or a happy story, but I was kind of shocked at her answer.

She wanted it to be like the rest of my stories.

I usually write tragedies, of sacrifice and loss, of heroes dying for their friends. Many of the things I have written I have not let her read, not so much because she is young and I thought that she wouldn't understand, (on the contrary, she is a very smart little girl) but because I thought that they would make her cry and upset her, nevermind that some could get a bit gory, or 'adult'.

Her exact words were "I want it to be like your stories and like dragonball, but make it like Steven Universe!"

Those are three things that I just didn't have a clue on how to combine. Forget oil and water, this was going to be like trying to mix oil and sand, snipe tails and pixie farts, stir them up in a bowl, bake, and somehow end up with a birthday cake!

But I knew I was going to try.

That night I turned off the lights, sat in the dark, made up a playlist of music I thought would inspire me, and just relaxed as I listened.

It takes me a good while to come up with the premise for most stories. Inspiration is a fickle thing, hard to find, impossible to hold onto and very easy to lose.

But the strangest thing happened. As each song played, it was like I was watching a movie play out in my mind. That's a fairly normal thing for me; Its how I visualize my writing coming together. I take that bit of inspiration, make some notes, and then expand it from there. But this was different.

Through whatever you want to call it; fate; luck; divine intervention; the planets aligning; the shuffled songs on that playlist, just seemed to feed one another, building the picture in my mind. Each event, playing on the back of my eyelids like I was still sitting there in the hospital, watching Steven Universe with her. From there it was easy. I was just writing down what I saw.

When I had finished my notes, I knew I had something, and so I got started.

And that is how this story came to be. I haven't told her that I'm done with it yet, as I want to try and get some artwork for it, and put it into a storybook that I can bring to her. I know that it will be worth it. She is having a hard time right now, and she will have a tough time in the near future when she gets fitted for her prosthetic.

I have already promised to keep teaching her to fence, and to keep watching our shows together. But I honestly can't wait to show her this story. I just hope she likes it as much as I enjoyed making it for her.

For a list of songs and story events linked to them, please check out the next chapter. Links to the music are listed as well so that you can listen to them easily.


	3. Musical Inspiration

I've explained how I use music to inspire my writing, and I just wanted to share some of the songs that 'created' the story you have just read. Links will be below each notation so that you can easily listen to the songs. They are the music videos, which are easier to create links to, but I urge you to close your eyes and create your own video in your mind, as let's be honest, a lot of music videos just make no sense, or paint a completely different picture than the one you imagined when you first heard that song.

These are in no particular order, as I tend to jump around as I create a narrative. I might start with the middle, and only write the beginning once everything else is finished. In this particular case, the ending came first.

If you would care to re-read this story in the future, perhaps I could convince you to play these songs as you read, and maybe you can feel the emotions I did, or even see the story play out like a movie in your mind, as it did for me as I wrote it.

PLEASE! Do NOT read any further if you have not read the story. I am going to attempt to list the story elements without spoilers, but it's impossible to do so completely. I might make some sort of notation in the story for the points where these songs should be experienced, but I don't want to interrupt anyone as they read it for the first time. For now, though, here are some of the story events and the songs that inspired them.

The knight, at the bottom of the crater, speaking to Amethyst –

A Great Big World (With C. Aguilera) – Say Something

A song about loss, and lost time. Having wished for this moment every day of his life, the young man has only a few fleeting seconds to speak his heart.

The lines "Sorry that I couldn't get to you" and "Anywhere, I would have followed you!" Seemed so perfect a fit. And if you do watch the video, I felt the interaction between the older couple was a mirror of the sadness felt by the two characters here.

watch?v=-2U0Ivkn2Ds

Amethyst's emotion, the kiss, and her pain at his loss

Rihanna – Diamonds

watch?v=lWA2pjMjpBs

But I felt that it described a more mature love than what would be appropriate given whom I am writing this story for, and in the end, I would like to be able to share these songs with her as she reads my book. So I don't think I will be sharing this one with her.

The knight, before returning to the past, writing his letters; (I never really found a good song for Pearl's letter)

For Garnet – His mentor and only friend in the darkness of his future.

3 Doors Down – When I'm Gone

- I felt that this was a perfect song to describe the relationship between the depressed young man as he faced the dark and lonely future. Garnet would have trained him, became a teacher, comrade and only friend. After losing her, I feel that the chorus of this song fits so perfectly, that it seemed almost written for this very reason. Going back to save his friend, who more than anything, he wants to be proud of him.

So hold me when I'm here  
>Right me when I'm wrong<br>Hold me when I'm scared  
>And love me when I'm gone<br>Everything I am  
>And everything in me<br>Wants to be the one  
>You wanted me to be<br>I'll never let you down  
>Even if I could<br>I'd give up everything  
>If only for your good<br>So hold me when I'm here  
>Right me when I'm wrong<br>You can hold me when I'm scared  
>You won't always be there<br>So love me when I'm gone

watch?v=pFq1eT9tMJ4

For Amethyst

Once again, its;

3 Doors Down – Here Without You

The entirety of this song seems so perfect for this. I can imagine the young man, alone at night, holding onto that memento of a lost friend, who in the time spent without her, had realized that she'd become something much more to him as he matured and better came to understand his feelings.

watch?v=kPBzTxZQG5Q

For the final fight with Zircon, with the summoning of the ultimate barrier and most especially the activation of the light cannon and subsequent sacrifice of his life energy to power and overload it.

Linkin Park – Iridescent

watch?v=xLYiIBCN9ec

I felt it perfectly fit with the young man's ability to do what he knew would not only kill him, but erase his very being from existence. In the end, he did, in fact, 'let it go'. And in doing so, found the peace he so badly needed.

In the alternate timeline, after the fight that finally ended with Zircon being sealed away, you can only imagine the pain and darkness in "his" heart. His friends taken from him, and forced to bear their gems as permanent reminders of his weakness and inability to save them. The years that followed that horrible day would strengthen him, mold him into a blade to protect his loved ones, and tempered with the rage boiling deep in his heart, he vowed to undo all the hurt and make right the things he had been powerless to change. No matter what the cost.

This song showed me his pain and sadness, and by its end, his determination and resolve.

Linkin Park – Castle of Glass

watch?v=ScNNfyq3d_w

After Zircon's return and the loss of his last friend, the young knight was tortured and scarred, both physically and upon his very soul.

He can still smile, and struggle through the pain, but deep below the surface, there are wounds that can never heal, and he knows that even if by some miracle, he could survive and live in the world he is about to head to, that those deep scars would prevent him from ever being truly a part of it.

This is assuredly the theme song for the character of the young knight from the future.

Whether its "without a sense of confidence, I'm convinced it's just too much pressure to take", "I have felt this way before, so insecure", or "Against my will, I stand before my own reflection" This song perfectly fits the way I imagined this character. The distortion of some of the vocals, and skipping just seems right at home for a theme about a conflicted and pained young man forced to live in a post apocalyptic wasteland.

Linkin Park – Krwlng (Crawling remix from the 'Re-Animated" album, and in my opinion, EPIC!)

watch?v=_8x7xMQUbnE

I felt this song was perfect, though it was not in my original playlist. And I realize it's the third Linkin Park song on here, but their style of music, which focuses on the internal conflicts within our own minds, and our emotions, as well as their vague subject matter makes it easy to apply these songs to a wide range of subjects and feelings. I hope you can see how it fits here.

There are many more songs which helped me to create this story, and I might add more later, but these are some of the ones that fit the best, or helped me to flesh out one particular spot in the narrative or other.

Thanks once again for reading and thanks for all the positive feedback.

If anyone would care to contribute some artwork for the story (so I can give my little friend a "proper" storybook) I would be happy to accept, and credit you in both the printed book (only one to be made) and in the text here on fanfic.

Anything you might feel like creating would be appreciated, but the scenes I am most interested in seeing depicted are;

Steven and Amethyst sitting on the roof's edge, gazing up at the stars (from the flashback)

The moment where Amethyst first sees the young warrior, his blade still locked with Zircon.

The kiss between the young knight and Amethyst.

The confused/embarrassed look on Steven's face after Amethyst gave him a smooch, possibly with Garnet and Pearl laughing at Steven in the background.

Thanks once again for reading.

I will contemplate writing a story about the alternate timeline, as has been suggested by a few different people, but my original intent was just to help out a little girl who really needs some cheering up, so time will tell.

- Josh Hines (Volyren Nightsong)


End file.
